Differences are not Defects
by percyjacksonfan135
Summary: Percy and his friends are starting another year at Good High School. Things get very interesting, but what if Percy and his friends are mortal? What if one 11-year-old girl changes Percy's life forever? Read to find out how.
1. Starting Good High and a Surprise

Authors note: I thought I would give this a try because it's never been done before. This will be my fourth fan fiction story that I have written so far. I want to give you a little bit of background before I start this story. As I have told you, I am legally blind, so I use a screen reader to type up and read these stories. Since not a lot of people have written a lot of stories where the main or minor characters have disabilities other than dyslexia and ADHD. So, I thought I would take this opportunity to write a very different Percy Jackson story. In order for it to work however, Percy and his friends will be fully mortal so that the plot of this story will make sense. If any of you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them. Now, let's get on with the story. Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Percy Jackson characters.

Differences Are Not Defects

Prologue:

It was summer time in New York City and everywhere you went the streets were bustling with shoppers and walkers. School was out for most young people, which meant that a lot of them would be hanging by the pool, going to amusement parks, getting ice cream, or suntans. Well, almost everyone was doing those things; but not everyone.

You see, there is also a lot of mystery in New York City; most especially, in a neighborhood in Manhattan. A family of five lived there in an apartment complex, a mother, a father, two boys, and a little girl. There was nothing unusual about the family at all except for the fact that their young daughter had been born totally blind and had severe cerebral palsy as well. For this reason, she was unable to speak as of yet and was still in diapers and needed someone to feed her as if she was an infant even though she was almost 5 years old. But despite their daughter's problems, the rest of the family members loved her and cared for her without question.

Now, the father of this family worked at the local hospital as a mental health counselor in their children's section while the mother worked as a secretary at NYU. Because both parents worked long hours during the day, the two older boys were more often responsible for the five-year-old's care. They did not mind this however because they loved that child with all of their hearts, and although she was not able to speak, the boys somehow understood that the little girl deeply appreciated their company.

And for some strange reason, the five-year-old's favorite person happened to be the teenager. He seemed to understand what she needed better than anyone and he always helped her to calm down whenever she was in distress. Not to mention, that the teenager almost always played with her and made sure to feed her regularly so that she would not get sick.

This was pretty much a daily routine for this particular family and most days were very peaceful. But it wasn't until three days later when something went terribly wrong.

Although this particular family was in the city, they had a sneaking suspicion that there had been, and still was, very sinister and magical energy brewing in the next Borough over. No one, not even this family, knew for sure what it was, but they knew they didn't like it. Unknown to everyone, there was an evil witch named Hecate, after the Greek goddess of magic herself. At least, everyone thought she was a witch because she was creepy and lived in an old mansion somewhere in Queens. But no one, not even this family, realized what this lady was capable of.

It was rumored that Hecate would sneak into various houses in the middle of the night and steal ingredients for a very specific potion she happened to be making at the time. Whether people knew that it was her or not, they were too afraid to say, for they knew all too well what would happen to them if they ever caught her. Everyone says that ignorance is bliss, but for one particular family, it had cost them their happiness and left them in sorrow for many months. But it had also done something else as well. When their daughter was stolen, the mother and father's ages increased by 10 years or so while the two boys stayed the same. As for the little girl, she was never thought of or spoken about by anyone because no one could remember her at the time. Well, no one could remember her until that horrible summer ended in September.

Chapter 1:

Starting Good High and a Surprise

An alarm clock beeped noisily as a black haired, green eyed, boy of about 16 or 17 rolled out of bed. It was already September, which meant that the school year was about to begin. This boy of 17 was named Percy Jackson. He didn't mind school, but he didn't particularly care for it either. The reason why was obvious. He had both dyslexia and ADHD, and no matter what kind of medication he was on, Percy just could not sit still. As for the dyslexia, well, he could do nothing about that except to get some extra help during his study halls.

Percy didn't mind being in school though because he loved hanging out with his best friends, Grover Underwood and Thalia grace. Although Thalia was one grade ahead of the boys, she still hung out with them because they always made her laugh. And they always made her feel better whenever she was having a terrible day. Before I go any further, let me explain a few things.

Although Percy, Thalia, and Grover were all fully mortal, they love to pretend that they were the Greek heroes of old. This was not hard to do because for some strange reason, both Percy's and Thalia's fathers were named after the Greek gods of lightning and the sea. Thalia and Percy thought it was kind of funny because they were told that their grandparents had done the same thing to them when they were born... Even funnier was the fact that Percy and his dad, Poseidon Jackson, loved going swimming and fishing whenever they could. But now they couldn't do that because the summer was over and Percy really needed to concentrate extra hard on his schoolwork in order to pass his classes. Percy's mom, Sally, knew that he was doing his best despite the fact that he had a learning disability. However, the high school principal didn't see it that way.

The principal wrote a letter to Percy's parents warning them that if he didn't get his grades up, Percy would have to go to an alternative school. When Sally had told Percy this, he was understandably upset and he vowed to do everything he could to do better. However, Percy had a funny feeling that no matter what he did, the principal would find a way to kick him out anyway. When Percy had shown the principal's letter to his father, all that Poseidon did was give his son a hug and tell him gently, "don't worry about it, Percy. Your mother and I understand how difficult it is for you and we understand that you are doing your best. No matter what happens, your mother and I love you and we will do everything we can to help you." That was only a month ago and although his dad had made him feel better, Percy was still quite angry with the school authorities for picking on him for no apparent reason.

Another thing that was different in the Jackson household was that Percy's cousin, Nico, was living in their house for the past month. You see, Nico's parents, Hades and Maria DiAngelo and his older sister, Bianca, had been killed in a serious car accident in July. So, naturally, Hades's brother officially adopted Nico and he became part of the family. As for Thalia, well, she wasn't related to them in any way, but you could say that Zeus, who was her father, was good friends with Poseidon Jackson and his family.

As I was saying before, it was already September and Percy was not looking forward to going back to school. He was just about to hit the snooze button on his alarm clock when Sally called up the stairs, "Percy, come on! Get a move on or you will be late!" Percy sighed inwardly but he did as he was told. Five minutes later, he was eating his favorite breakfast of blue pancakes and then before he knew it, Percy was running to catch the city bus that would take him to Good high school.

While he was on the city bus, Percy noticed someone near the front of the bus whom he had never spoken to, but she somehow seemed familiar to him. The girl was much younger than he was; only about 11 or 12 years old. She seemed to be staring into space, but Percy somehow understood that she really wasn't trying to do that. And he noticed something else as well. The girl's hands and legs were constantly in motion as if she could not control them very well. What surprised him the most though was that although this girl was pretty much severely disabled, she was still able to speak and hold a conversation? "How could that be, though?" Percy thought. "How could that be possible when the little girl I remember could do nothing but babble?" As if on instinct, Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out a somewhat bent photograph that had been taken earlier that spring.

The photograph had 6 people in all. They were Percy's parents, Percy, his younger brother Tyson, and their cousin Nico. But there was someone else as well. A little girl of about five years old was in the picture and she was in Poseidon's arms. Although she had her eyes closed, the little girl wasn't asleep. She just had some complex neurological problems that no one could understand but them. Percy was lost in thought as he gazed sadly at the photo; missing his little sister terribly. But as he gazed at the girl in the wheelchair, Percy was shocked to see that she looked almost exactly like the girl in the photo, except that she was older and her wavy dark hair was much longer than he had remembered. Percy had no more time to dwell on those thoughts as the girl spoke.

Percy didn't realize it, but the young girl had apparently dropped something and she couldn't reach it. It finally dawned on Percy that the young girl was asking him to help her find whatever she had lost.

"Excuse me, sir," she asked timidly, "I dropped my medical alert necklace and I don't know where it went. Could you please help me find it?"

Percy finally snapped out of his days and asked kindly, "where did you see it last, kiddo?"

The younger girl looked in the general direction of where Percy's voice was coming from and said evenly, "I can't see."

Percy looked somewhat abashed, but he said, "is it a small necklace with a metal circle at the bottom?" When the younger girl nodded her head, Percy reached under his bus seat and found the object in question under his feet. "Give me your hand a second," Percy told the young girl. He placed the necklace into her hand and her fingers closed tightly around it. The young girl tried in vain to fasten it around her neck, but her fingers were becoming very spastic and she was having a difficult time. Percy noticed this and asked gently, "would you like some help?"

"If... if you don't mind," the young girl answered him. Percy gently took the necklace out of the young girl's grip and fastened it around her neck. "Thank you," she said softly. But before either of them could say anything else, the city bus stopped across the street from the high school and Percy, recognizing that the younger girl couldn't see him; shook her hand before getting off the bus.

Authors note: well, there you have it; that was the first chapter. I am writing this note to tell all of you the ages of the characters. Thalia: 18, Nico, 15, Percy, 17, Poseidon, 46, Sally, 44, other character, 11, and other recognizable characters I haven't decided on yet. I hope you enjoy this fourth installment, and as always, feel free to ask me questions.


	2. Lily

Alright people; I have decided on an age for Tyson. He will be 10 years old and in fifth grade along with the girl, whose name is Lily. She is 11 years old but she is in fifth grade because of her physical disability. I believe that is all the information I have for now, so, on with the story! Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or its characters.

Chapter 2:

Lily

As Percy exited the bus, the younger girl, Lily, watched somewhat sadly as he entered the school building. Why was she sad, you may ask? The answer is really quite simple for any average person; but for Lily, it was very difficult to understand. Yes, she may have seemed cheerful and upbeat on the outside; but on the inside, she was broken and mangled beyond repair. She didn't have very many friends. And the reasons for this were because almost everyone she knew avoided her because they thought she was the strange kid who spent time in the hospital. But that wasn't her fault. There were times when she would get very sick and she had no choice but to go to the hospital. If she didn't, she wouldn't even be alive today.

But that wasn't the worst thing in the world. Lily was used to dealing with being blind and almost totally dependent on others for her survival because she knew and understood that that was just a fact of life for her no matter how much she wanted to change it. No; what hurt her the most was the fact that people who didn't know her or understand her situation often called her freak and other horrible names. Also, what saddened her beyond sad was the fact that the teachers never seemed to care enough about Lily to stop the atrocious behavior and they also sometimes called her names behind her back when they thought she wasn't listening. So far, the only person in Lily's class who did anything to defend her at all was Tyson. Although he was younger than her, Tyson took it upon himself to try and protect Lily from anything that would hurt her physically or emotionally. And today, Lily thought that the teenager who had helped her would have done the same thing for her.

Meanwhile, Percy, Thalia, and Grover were just entering their math class and preparing to hear a very long lecture about boring old numbers and fax. But for some strange reason, Percy could not concentrate on the lesson. His mind kept wandering back to the ride on the city bus and the little girl whom he had helped. He just could not get her out of his mind and he wasn't sure why she seemed so familiar to him. Percy shook his head, trying to clear it so that he could think about his math lesson. But it was no use. The image of her sad face stayed in his mind for the rest of the morning. "I just don't get it!" Percy thought to himself. "Why do I feel such a strong connection to this kid? I don't even know her! And when I saw her, she seemed so sad. I don't even know this kid and my heart is breaking because her heart is broken." But then a small voice in the back of Percy's mind reminded him, "oh yes you do know her. You might think you don't, but you do."

Percy was so lost in thought that he didn't realize that Grover had been calling his name for a good 15 minutes. When he looked up, Percy's face was totally read. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "What did you ask me?"

Grover made an impatient noise in his throat, but he repeated his question. "I asked you if you were planning on hanging out at the swimming pool this afternoon."

Percy smiled an apologetic smile and answered, "I'm sorry Grover, but I can't. I really need to concentrate on getting my grades up if I want to stay here." Then Percy fell silent and he had been that way for the remainder of the morning. Grover said nothing about this, but when Thalia came and sat with them in the cafeteria, she noticed Percy's odd behavior and she wouldn't let it go until Percy gave her a playful glare. He finally relented and told his best friends about the 11-year-old girl he had helped just before arriving at school. "I just can't stop asking myself why she seems so familiar," Percy said quietly. "I just can't shake the feeling that I was meant to see her and help her."

Grover and Thalia looked thoughtful for a second and finally Thalia suggested gently, "well, doesn't your brother Tyson come home with you on the city bus? Maybe he knows this girl somehow. Maybe she's in his class or something. I don't know, Percy. I'm just taking a wild guess as to why she seems familiar to you. Maybe you should ask your brother when you see him later today."

Then Percy reached into his pocket again and carefully brought out the photo he had been looking at on the bus. "Thanks, but I'm really not so sure," he told her. "Look at this picture and tell me if anyone other than Nico looks familiar to you." So, without hesitation, Percy handed the photograph over to Thalia.

When she took it, Thalia scanned over the people in the picture. She saw Percy and his family plus Nico, but when Thalia's eyes landed on the little girl, she gave a yelp of surprise and recognition. "Oh my gosh I do know this kid!" Thalia cried. "I baby-sat for her once last April, but I never saw her after that! What happened to her anyway?"

Percy's eyes became sad as he answered, "I... I don't know. She disappeared over the summer and I'm not sure where she is."

Meanwhile, Lily was fighting her way through a huge crowd as she navigated the hallways of the elementary school in her wheelchair. Because she was totally blind as well, Lily often got startled when anyone bumped into her. Unfortunately, many of the students noticed how startled she got and would purposely jostle her. There were times after these incidents that Lily would go almost completely rigid and couldn't relax. Whenever this would happen, Lily was frightened beyond belief and in danger of falling out of her wheelchair. How she managed to stay in her wheelchair whenever she would stiffen up like that was a complete mystery to everyone; including herself.

Today was one of those horrible days and she knew that she was going to stiffen up very soon if people didn't stop jostling her and making her startle so much. Lily also knew that whenever she got like that, she would sometimes go into a full-blown panic attack and stop breathing altogether for a few seconds. But what Lily did not realize was that there was someone else who was trying to come to her aid, but wasn't having much luck. As far as she could tell, the person wasn't too far away from her and she easily recognized his voice. That voice belonged to her only friend, Tyson Jackson, Percy's younger brother.

Now, although Tyson and Percy were brothers, they looked nothing alike. While Percy had their father's black hair and green eyes, Tyson had their mother's Brown hair and brown eyes. The only resemblance that anyone could possibly notice was the manner in which they treated others and held themselves. Unlike Percy though, Tyson wasn't very impulsive. He was usually very calm and collected unless anyone ticked him off of course. And right now was a good example.

Tyson could see that Lily was having a tough time and so he tried to get to her before she had a full-blown panic attack. He had seen her have one last year and it concerned him a lot. He could appreciate how difficult it was for her; not because of her physical disability, but because he had been her friend since the both of them were in kindergarten. It was also because both Poseidon and Sally taught their children to be kind and have an open mind about anything and everything. "Don't judge lest you be judged," Poseidon would always say whenever Percy or Tyson would complain about something that was usually irrelevant. In the crowded hallway, Tyson was cursing under his breath and getting angrier and angrier with the group of students who simply refused to move out of his way. He could sense Lily's panic growing stronger as the wave of students came nearer and nearer; almost overwhelming her.

Lily was almost in tears she was so scared. She heard her friend's voice again and boy did he sound mad! "You jerks better get out of the way now, or else I will personally report you to the principal. And don't you dare hurt Lily!"

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it, Jackson?" A nerdy, tough looking guy with glasses asked snottily.

Tyson glared at the offending crowd as he stared down the guy with the glasses. "Never mind what I'm going to do about it," he said coldly. "Lily's my friend and I will not allow anyone to pick on or harm her in any way possible. Is that understood?" When no one answered him, Tyson glared daggers at the offending crowd and successfully pushed past them and hurried over to Lily's side. "Lily, are you okay? Come on Lily, talk to me! It's okay, you're okay." Lily had been fighting back her tears for so long that when Tyson spoke to her, she immediately released them. She hadn't realized how frightened she had been until he told her that she was safe. "Come on," Tyson said gently. "Let's get to class before the teacher finds out that we are late. And without another word, Tyson gently took the handles of his friend's wheelchair and steered her through the hallway toward the fifth grade classroom.

Review, review, review.


	3. A Close Call

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series or any of its characters. All I own is the plot.

Chapter 3:

A Close Call

At the high school, Nico DiAngelo was in a really bad mood. He tried to concentrate on his homework during study hall, but he just couldn't. Today had marked the one-month anniversary of his parents and sister's deaths. They had been killed in a car accident by a drunk driver and Nico was still very sad about it. He had not been in the car when it happened, but he still felt guilty for what it happened previously. Now that both of his parents were gone as well as his older sister, Nico wanted more than ever to tell them how sorry he had been for arguing with them before they had left.

Nico loved his parents, but they had a tendency to be a little hard on him. It was that, which made his relationship with his parents a little rocky. Nico had been arguing with them about something that he thought was important at the time. He wanted his parents to understand that he was really trying to grow up and that he couldn't do that with everyone hanging all over him every minute of the day. But it wasn't the argument that made Nico feel guilty; it was what he had said just before his parents and sister left for the movies. Nico had said that he never wanted to talk to them ever again and that he wished that they would all just leave him alone for the rest of his life. Little did Nico know what was going to happen. He didn't know that he had unintentionally jinxed it. Because, as Nico watched the evening news, he saw pictures of three very familiar faces and he instantly regretted everything he ever said. He knew now that he could not take back the words no matter how much he wished he could. Nico wanted so much to tell his family that he was sorry, but he couldn't because he knew somehow that they would never come back.

And when Nico dialed the telephone number of his best friend and cousin, Percy Jackson, he immediately broke down in tears. It was very unusual for Nico to cry, but he just couldn't help it this time. When Percy's calm and reassuring voice came through the receiver, Nico did nothing but cry as he told his cousin what had happened. Nico was so shaken up that Percy finally told his parents that he was going over to Nico's house to pick him up. He told them that Nico was really upset and that he couldn't be alone. Both Sally and Poseidon understood what was going on because they had unintentionally overheard the conversation. So, after Percy left, both of the Jackson parents exchanged worried looks and didn't answer right away when Tyson had asked them what was going on. All that Sally said was, "your cousin is in a really bad place right now, so just keep him in your thoughts. Okay?" Tyson, being as sensitive as he was, realized what that meant and he suddenly began to cry. Both Sally and Poseidon knew how sensitive their younger son was and so they gave him a hug and told him that everything would be okay.

Tyson was still crying, so Poseidon sat with him and explained gently, "maybe we should have rephrased our earlier statement. What your mother and I meant was that Nico is having a really hard time in his life right now, so your brother went to get him."

Tyson looked up at his father and sniffled as he asked, "what about Uncle Hades and Aunt Maria? Can't they help him?

This time, Poseidon blinked back tears of his own as he answered his youngest son. "Honey, I don't really know how to tell you this, but your aunt and uncle... well... they... they, along with Nico's older sister, were killed by a drunk driver last night."

Then without warning, Tyson buried his face in his father's shirt as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks. "But why?" He asked. "Why does everybody I love have to die like that?

"I don't know kiddo; I really don't know," Poseidon replied gently. And then as if his brain had been on rewind, Poseidon understood immediately what Tyson had been asking. It had only been five years ago when Sally had been in a similar car accident. She had not been killed, but she had been pregnant with twins at the time and she unfortunately lost one of the babies, while the other one suffered a massive lack of oxygen to the brain. Tyson had only been five years old, but he had really been looking forward to being a big brother. So, when he realized that his baby sister could not see him, Tyson had no understanding of what it was like until Percy showed him by tying a bandana over his little brothers eyes. Percy also gently explained that what their sister was experiencing was called blindness and that she would need different cues such as touch and sound to let her know where she was. When his parents had told him what had happened to the other baby, Tyson had cried for days; not realizing that he had been mourning the loss of someone he never knew. And without warning, Poseidon began to cry silently as well as he remembered that fateful day in November only five years ago. "I know what you mean, son," he said gently. "I guess things happen for a reason and the reason isn't always a good one. Don't cry any more Tyson. Everything will be all right." And when Percy came home, Sally and Poseidon told him what happened to his brother and he went in and did nothing but hug him as he also remembered what had happened to their baby sister's twin before he or she could be born.

Since Sally and Poseidon had been listed as Nico's guardians if something were to happen, they went down to the courthouse the next day and officially adopted their nephew. It had been two months since then and Nico had been living with the Jackson family ever since.

As Nico came out of his memory, he realized that Percy had been snapping his fingers in front of his nose for at least five minutes or more. "Gees Nico," Percy teased, "were you even listening to me?" And then he saw the sad expression on his cousin's face. "Is it bad today?" Percy asked gently. When Nico nodded his head, Percy squeezed his hand and said gently, "you know that it wasn't your fault; right? We all say things we don't mean and I'm sure that your mom and dad realized that you were just angry. You are only human, Nico, and nobody expects you to be perfect. You are my foster brother for crying out loud. But you are also my cousin, and I love you! Don't you ever forget that." And then Nico just couldn't help it. He rested his head on his cousin's shoulder and cried silently for the family who could never come back.

As that was happening, Lily was in the cafeteria and it was extremely noisy. She was already having a bad day because her neurological system was totally messed up and her nerves were really hurting her. She found this extremely aggravating, especially because she also could not see what was going on around her. Except for her family and Tyson, nobody truly understood how much she struggled through each day. She told people many times that she needed a teacher's aide during the lunch hour because she was unable to feed herself, but nobody believed her. Lily had suspected that no one believed her because she was able to speak so well, but that didn't matter. She tried very hard to feed herself, but the communication between her brain and her muscles was just not there and she often had to skip eating altogether for that reason. But sometimes Lily had no choice but to try and eat because whenever she skipped a meal, she would feel the way she did whenever she used to go into a seizure. Lily thankfully had medication to help her, but it always made her feel very sleepy.

She was in the cafeteria now, attempting to feed herself, when she sensed the presence of her one and only friend sitting next to her. "Oh, hey Tyson," Lily said with a smile. "I thought you had a different lunch hour than me."

Tyson laughed. "No, goofball," Tyson replied. "Everybody has the same lunch hour." Then he noticed that Lily was really struggling to feed herself. "Do you need some help with that?" He asked gently. Lily's face turned a little bit red and she had a scared look in her eyes. Tyson noticed this and asked gently, "what's wrong?"

It took a while, but finally Lily answered, "I do need help, but the teachers told me that I wasn't allowed to ask for it. They keep telling me that I'm faking and that I don't need anybody to do anything. But they don't understand. There are times when I can hardly move; you've seen it!"

By this time, Lily was close to tears and she was frustrated beyond belief. Besides Tyson, everyone, including the teachers, never cared. Upon seeing his friend's tears, Tyson laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and said gently, "I'm sorry that this has happened to you. I know it hasn't been easy for you and I wish there was someway to make others understand that. Yes, I have seen it. I have seen it more times than you may have realized. Lily, you have been my best friend since we were in kindergarten and nothing is ever going to change that."

Lily gave Tyson a strange look and said calmly, "Well, technically speaking, I really am supposed to be in Kindergarten."

"Lily, what are you talking about?" Tyson asked, more than a little confused.

Then, just as Tyson said those words, Lily suddenly remembered that morning on the city bus and the person who had helped her. "Tyson, I know this is off the subject, but do you have an older brother?

Tyson smiled and answered, "yeah, he goes to the local high school. Why do you ask that?"

Lily bit her lip as she tried to remember. "It's nothing," she answered. "It's just that even though I'm totally blind, and can barely move because of my cerebral palsy, I still recognize people; and for some strange reason, your older brother seems very familiar to me. I don't know why, and I don't know how. All I know is that I feel a connection to him and I don't really understand why. What's his name?"

"My brother's name is Percy," Tyson replied. "Does that name sound familiar to you?"

As that was going on, Thalia was preparing to enter her English class. She was very nervous about it because she was in the advanced class and she wasn't sure what kind of expectations the teacher had for her or anyone for that matter. Neither Percy nor Nico was in this class so Thalia was the only one of their group. As the room began to fill up, Thalia became even more nervous when she realized that she was with a bunch of strangers. She knew of course that these strangers would become some of her best friends, but for now, all that Thalia could do was wait for the bell to ring so that she could go home and listen to her punk rock music while doing her homework.

But unfortunately, five minutes into the class, some freshman idiot decided that it would be funny to throw a spit ball at the back of Thalia's head. Thalia didn't really know why, but the advanced English class was for the whole high school, not just for the seniors. So, naturally, that meant that all grades would be mixed together for this particular class. Thalia didn't really like the idea, but she was only a student, so she let it go. However, the person who had thrown the spit ball at her was now shrinking in his seat under her death glare. "Do that one more time, buddy and I swear to high heaven that you will get my foot up your butt," she muttered under her breath. Other than that, the rest of the class time was spent going over the rules and looking over the list of books that they would be reading that first semester.

When it was finally time to go home, Thalia met up with Grover and Percy by their lockers as she normally did. When the boys saw her angry face they immediately got very quiet. They learned a long time ago to never mess with Thalia when she was in a bad mood. Instead, Percy asked, "what happened to you? You look mad enough to dent a locker."

Thalia huffed under her breath, but answered, "some idiot decided to throw a spit ball at me when I wasn't looking. Who in their right mind would mix all the grades together for advanced English? Never mind, let's just go home." Then Thalia noticed that Nico was not with the boys that afternoon. "Hey, where's Nico? Wasn't he supposed to meet us here?"

Finally, Grover answered, "well, he was, but he sort of had a meltdown today and, well, he's still in the guidance counselor's office. I haven't seen him since lunchtime."

"Well, shouldn't we wait for him then?" Thalia asked.

This time it was Percy who answered her. "No. My dad said that he would swing by the high school and pick him up on his way home from work. We should probably go anyway because I need to pickup Tyson from the elementary school." Then without another word, the three of them walked out of the high school and toward the elementary school. The three friends parted ways and Percy walked onto the grounds of the elementary school. When he got there, he received a shock!


	4. The Hospital

Alright people, here is the next chapter. I had a little bit of writer's block, so I needed to leave it alone for a while. Anyway, disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of its characters.

Chapter 4:

The Hospital

Percy could not believe what his eyes were seeing. Sure, he had seen fights before, but never a fight that was as brutal as this one was. He wasn't even sure if it had counted as a fight; considering that the little girl was totally surrounded and could do nothing to defend herself. Not only that, but Percy somehow understood that she couldn't have defended herself even if she wanted to. And with a jolt of recognition, Percy suddenly realized that it was the little girl whom he had helped earlier that morning. He recognized the wavy dark hair and the sad expression in her eyes. But there was something else as well. Percy also recognized that the little girl was clearly terrified and was in danger of falling out of her wheelchair.

Percy was frozen in shock as he watched the gang of boys tormenting the poor thing. They were laughing at her and jeering as Lily tried in vain to relax herself. But it was too late. Percy watched in horror as the 11-year-old became deathly pale and fell forwards onto the hard asphalt. And then as if things couldn't get any worse, Lily began to thrash around uncontrollably. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Percy rushed over to the little girl's side and gently lifted her head up so that she would not injure herself. To the gang of boys, Percy said coldly, "all of you go home right now! I don't ever want to see any of you tormenting or bullying anyone ever again! Do you understand me? Go, right now!" And just to be sure that the boys would listen to him, Percy glared at them so hard that they almost peed their pants. "Good, it serves them right for picking on someone who is truly unable to defend themselves," Percy muttered to himself. Once Lily and he were alone, Percy was able to get a better look at her eyes and realized that the little girl was having a full-blown seizure.

Without hesitation, Percy pulled out his cell phone and immediately dialed 911. When the dispatcher answered the call, Percy explained that he was at the local elementary school and an 11-year-old girl was having a seizure and wasn't coming out of it. "Does the little girl have a medical alert necklace or bracelet?" The dispatcher asked calmly.

"Yes, she does," Percy answered. "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to stay with her until someone can come for her?"

"Yes," the dispatcher answered. "It is preferable that when someone goes into a grand maul seizure, that someone would stay with them just in case there are complications. Just stay where you are and keep the little girl as calm as you can. And thank you, young man for acting as quickly as you did." And then the call ended just as Percy saw Tyson Crossing the playground and coming toward him.

When Percy saw his younger brother, he wasn't sure how he was going to explain this particular situation. He knew that Tyson was sensitive and he didn't want him to get upset; but at the same time, Percy understood how Tyson would feel if he was kept in the dark. So he compromised by asking Tyson to go home on the city bus by himself tonight and that he would explain everything to him when he got home later. Tyson was confused, but he did as his older brother had asked. But as Tyson left the school grounds, he caught a glimpse of Lily thrashing around and his jaws dropped open in shock. Tyson had always known that people with significant brain damage were prone to having seizures, but he had never seen Lily have one. She had explained what they were one time, but Tyson had never actually witnessed one for himself. He had only witnessed her panic attacks; and in his opinion, her seizures were much worse. "This is so unfair to her," Tyson thought to himself. "It's all because none of the teachers will allow her to get any kind of help that she needs. Lily is only like this when she skips meals. And she skips meals because she isn't able to feed herself and no one understands that. Why can't anyone show her a little bit of compassion?"

As Tyson walked off to catch the bus, Percy stayed with Lily; cradling her head protectively as she continued to have her seizure. How he even knew what to do was a complete mystery to Percy. Sure, he had seen some of the special ed kids at Good high school, but he had never worked with them by himself. He was always in a supervised room with a teacher. While he waited, Percy quickly called home and told his mom what was happening. He explained that he went to pick Tyson up from school when he saw one of the other students having some problems. He also explained that he had called 911 and was waiting for the ambulance to arrive and that he would be home a little later than usual.

When he flipped his phone closed, Percy heard the sirens before he saw the ambulance. He didn't know why he was doing this, but he somehow found himself holding the little girl's hand and whispering quietly to her; making sure that she wouldn't be frightened. Percy also wasn't sure if it would be safe for him to transfer her back into her wheelchair, so he opted to lift her up in a fireman's carry. It wasn't really that hard because the little girl was extremely light, so it was easy for Percy to hold her. The poor thing was still in a seizure and Percy was extremely nervous. He knew that the ambulance was coming, but it seemed like it was taking forever to get there. When the ambulance finally arrived, Percy was extremely relieved. He wasn't sure what was going to happen next, so he stayed and answered the dispatcher's questions for as long as he could. Percy also explained that he wasn't family to this girl, but he asked if he could ride along with her so that she wouldn't get scared.

The EMT in the ambulance gave Percy a strange look, but he told him that it was okay if he went along. So, there he was. Percy was sitting in the back of an ambulance, on the way to the local hospital, holding the hand of an 11-year-old girl he barely knew. And yet, he felt as if he had known her forever. Percy still didn't know or understand why he had such a strong connection with Lily, but one thing was for sure. He would do anything to protect her from anything or anyone that would hurt her. And although Lily couldn't speak at the moment, her eyes said everything for her. When Percy looked into those Brown eyes, he understood that the little girl was forever grateful to have friends like Tyson and Percy Jackson. Percy also noticed that as they got closer and closer to the hospital, Lily became a little more frightened and she clutched Percy's hand a little more tightly.

"its okay kiddo," Percy whispered gently. "Everything will be all right." And after getting checked in, Percy asked the nurse if he could stay with the child for a little bit.

Since visiting hours were not yet over, the nurse allowed Percy to stay with the little girl for a little bit longer. Since it was dinnertime and the nurse needed to take care of the other patients, Percy volunteered to help the little girl to eat. He remembered how both of her hands and legs were very spastic and it was pretty obvious to anyone who knew this child that she definitely needed help with feeding herself. How no one could understand that, Percy had no clue. He had heard stories from his younger brother Tyson about how his friend was treated at school and Percy was understandably angry. How could anyone not realize how medically fragile she is? And is Percy fed the little girl, he noticed that the color was coming back to her cheeks and her convulsions were slowing down. "Is that what you needed, kiddo?" He asked gently. "Did your blood sugar get all messed up on you?" Percy watched in amazement as the little girl's strength, what little she had anyway, gradually returned to her. "Do you feel better?" Percy asked gently. Percy seemed to be asking that question a lot lately. Between Nico feeling bad about is parents and sister's deaths, comforting Tyson over the disappearance of their disabled younger sister, and now that he was sitting in a room in New York City Children's Hospital physically feeding a meal to a very sleepy 11-year-old, Percy was feeling more like a father than a brother. And in a strange way, that was exactly how Percy would've described his connection with the girl. It was both brotherly and paternal at the same time.

Lily nodded her head and asked in a weak voice, "are you... are you Tyson's brother? Are you Percy Jackson?"

Percy was surprised but he answered, "yes I am. How did you know that?"

Lily said, "it's because for some strange reason I feel that I know you somehow, and I really don't know why. Your brother and I had been best friends fora long time. I don't really remember a whole lot, but I feel somehow that you and your brother had taken care of me in the past. Were you at the elementary school back then?"

Percy shook his head, but then he remembered that the little girl was blind, so he answered, "no, I was at the middle school. I was in sixth grade, but the middle school started with sixth grade. And it's funny that you say that I seem familiar to you because you seem familiar to me as well. I just don't know how or why. For some strange reason, you somehow remind me of how my little sister was, except that she wasn't able to speak." Percy really didn't want to pry into the little girl's life, but he was genuinely concerned; especially because she seemed so fragile both physically and medically. He had known for a while through his brother, that the little girl wasn't getting the help that she needed, but he never imagined that the teachers themselves had been refusing to give it to her. Only when he saw Lily's face go deathly pale and her eyes roll back into her head did he truly believe that his brother had been telling the truth. To further prove his point, when Percy fed the little girl her meal, she immediately perked up and began to feel a whole lot better. For this reason and many others, Percy asked gently, "does this happen to you very often while you're at school?" When Lily gave Percy a blank stare, he clarified, "is it true that the teachers refused to give you the help that you need including a teacher's aide when you know that you need one?" When the little girl nodded her head, Percy noticed that she was extremely upset about it. "I'm sorry kiddo," Percy said gently. "I just wanted to verify it with you. Because, I have never seen anyone eat so fast in my entire life! But I will tell you what I will do. I will talk to my parents and see if anything can be done about this, okay? I don't want to see you land in the hospital again."

When Percy got home, he immediately started on his homework and finished everything in a timely manner for once. But he could not stop thinking about Tyson's friend, Lily. He was extremely worried about her health and especially about how the students and staff at the elementary school were treating her. According to Tyson, nearly everyone in the entire school called her names and refused to believe that she had the problems she had. He, like Lily, suspected that it was because she was able to speak, but that was no excuse. She had terrible health impairments, and for some unexplained reason, Percy understood that if they weren't taken care of properly, Lily would most certainly die and he didn't want that to happen to her. So, after Percy finished his homework, he went into the living room to talk to his parents.

However, Percy did not need to explain because both of his parents sort of knew who she was from Tyson's descriptions of her. They were also angry about how Lily was being treated and they promised that they would do everything they could to help.


	5. A New girl in Town

I still have only eight reviews, which is good, but I need a little more than that. I don't want to beg, but please, people, I need some motivation. Now that that rant is out of the way, disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series or its characters.

Chapter 5:

A New Girl Arrives in Town

Lily had been in the hospital for a little over a week. While she was there, she often talked with a mental health counselor about being bullied by the students and staff at the elementary school. Lily had no idea however, that the counselor whom she had been talking to was none other than Percy and Tyson's father. Lilly also felt that Poseidon seemed extremely familiar to her and just like she had with the boys, she could not put her finger on why that was. She felt as though some part of her belonged to their family, but at the same time, she knew it wasn't possible. "But why then, did the Jackson children completely understand what my needs were without question?" Lily had thought to herself as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Meanwhile, a moving van was parked across the street from the Jackson family's apartment building. It was a family of three; two parents, and one teenage girl. The teenage girl had blond hair and stormy gray eyes just like her mother. The man however look completely different. He had a mop of short, dark Brown hair and hazel eyes. From the looks of the man, the neighbors had guessed that he had been a college professor at one point. As for the mother and daughter, no one could really tell what their personalities were like. It did seem however that they were analyzing everyone and everything.

When Tyson saw his older brother gaping like a fish out the window at the people by the moving van, he teased, "Percy's got a girlfriend, Percy's got a girlfriend."

When Percy turned away from the window, and saw his younger brother smiling teasingly at him, he turned a little red and said somewhat defensively, "shut up. I do not!"

"Then how come you were staring out the window like a gaping fish?" Tyson asked teasingly. "And don't try to deny it either."

Percy smirked at his younger brother. "Tell me what's going on between you and Lily and maybe I'll tell you," he countered.

Tyson looked somewhat shocked as he stammered, "I... that's different and you know it. Besides, Percy, I'm only 10. I, in no way, shape or form do I like her like that. Lily is like a sister to me. And in her defense, I'm not really sure if she really understands what to do in that type of relationship."

Percy looked somewhat abashed, but he teased, "I think you do to some extent. Because, every time you talk about her, you blush a little bit."

Now it was Tyson's turn to blush. "I do not!" And before either of them knew it, both Percy and Tyson were rolling on the floor tickling each other and laughing hysterically.

It was to this particular scene that Sally walked in on. When she saw the boys wrestling around on the floor, she laughed to herself when she realized that they were having an all out tickle fest. Whatever she was about to say left Sally's mind as she tried and failed to hide a snicker behind her hand. "Mom?" Percy asked innocently. "Did you need something?"

Sally smiled and shook her head as if to clear it. Then what ever she was about to say came back to her. "Listen, your dad is on call at the hospital tonight and I need to go back to the office for a few hours to finish some paperwork. So, Percy, you are in charge of Tyson until we get home. And don't forget to finish your homework."

But before Sally could leave, Tyson asked in a worried voice, "mom, is... is Dad on call because of Lily?" Percy didn't notice that his younger brother was almost in tears, but Sally did and she gave her younger son a small hug.

"I don't know honey," she replied gently. "It could be anyone. But don't worry about it too much honey because your dad knows how to handle himself."

When Percy saw the sadness in his younger brother's eyes, he immediately regretted teasing him. He didn't know why, but he also felt a pang of sadness whenever he thought about the 11-year-old. And for some unexplained reason, he also felt somewhat responsible for her; especially after witnessing and taking care of her during her seizure. "Oh Ty..." Percy trailed off as an unexpected lump lodged itself in his throat. "I'm sorry, kid; I shouldn't have teased you like that. I don't know your friend as well as you do, but I do understand how you feel. You remember what I explained to you last night?"

Tyson nodded his head and answered, "you told me that even though Lily has some severe challenges, she is still the same person that I had known since I was five," he said a little sadly.

Percy smiled gently at his brother. "You are absolutely right," he replied gently. "Don't worry, big guy. She'll be all right in a few days. Now cheer up, kid; I'll make you a bowl of macaroni and cheese." As Percy had hoped, the mention of macaroni and cheese helped to lighten the sadness in his younger brother's heart. Macaroni and cheese and peanut butter and jelly were the two most favorite foods that Tyson had eaten.

Meanwhile, Poseidon was talking with the 11-year-old; letting her know that she was safe and that she could say whatever she needed to in order to let out her anger and frustration. Without knowing or understanding why, Lily felt that she could trust Poseidon with anything and everything; so, she told him everything; including how she was treated by most of her teachers and classmates at school. She told him about how the staff members refused to believe her when she told them that she really needed a teacher's aide during the day.

Poseidon listened with patience and understanding as Lily told him her problems. The 11-year-old broke down in tears a couple of times, but Mr. Jackson assured her that it was okay to do so. More embarrassing, was the fact that Lily finally admitted that because of her physical disabilities, she was not able to use the toilet; so, she had resorted to wearing youth diapers for protection. She had also said that it was part of her cerebral palsy and she couldn't help it.

"Does anyone else know this?" Poseidon asked gently.

Then Lily suddenly burst into tears. "Yes, but they don't care," she cried. "I struggled with everything for most of my life and I sometimes feel that no one understands how sickly I am. Sometimes my own mother doesn't even care."

"Do you think that people are just ignorant?" Poseidon asked tentatively. "Or do you feel that it is something more?"

"Personally, I think that my own mother paid by teachers to mistreat me," Lily said flatly. "I sometimes get the feeling that she really isn't my mother at all." And then as if on instinct, Lily suddenly grabbed onto Poseidon's hand and held it tightly as she gazed vacantly into his face. Although she could not see it, Lily somehow knew and understood that Mr. Jackson was extremely familiar to her. And as she stared a little longer, a memory of when she was about one or two years old flashed into her mind.

fourteen-year-old Percy was struggling to finish his homework as usual. He was trying to do some geometry, but his dyslexia was acting up on him and he was getting extremely frustrated. Percy hated math for this reason, but he knew that it was important so he tried in earnest to finish it. It wasn't that easy however, because in the next room, his seven-year-old brother Tyson was playing with his toys and being very loud about it. But there was something else as well.

In the room next to that, Percy could also hear a two-year-old crying and she didn't sound too happy. It was for this reason that Percy could not concentrate on his homework. He somehow knew that the two year old was in trouble and she really needed help. So, giving in to his inner conscience, Percy went up to the second floor where the bedrooms were and walked down the hallway toward the little girl's bedroom. Percy had no idea where his mom was, but he knew that his dad was on call until ten pm at the hospital and wouldn't be home for dinner. So, naturally, Percy was the only one who was home with the smaller kids for at least two hours.

When he pushed open the door to the two-year-old's bedroom, his nose was immediately assaulted with the scent of a freshly filled diaper. For a while, Percy just stood there; trying to keep himself from gagging. He had a strong stomach, but not all the time. But, being that he was the only one available, Percy managed to push the thought of getting sick to the back of his mind and listened to what his heart was telling him to do. Percy was used to changing diapers by now because of his little sister, but it didn't mean that he particularly enjoyed doing it. Who did? . What Percy didn't realize, was that it was harder than it seemed because the little girl wasn't really able to move on her own. Well, he did realize it, but he sometimes would forget how stiff the toddler would get whenever something or someone would startle her.

However, Percy somehow understood that she wasn't able to see him, so he whispered in her ear; letting the two year old know that she was safe. "Come on, Kiddo, let's change this icky diaper. Shall wee?" When she had relaxed enough, Percy picked her up gently and transferred her over to the changing table. Also because of the two year old being totally blind, Percy bent over her so that her spastic fingers could feebly touch his hair so that she could recognize him easier. Although Percy was already a freshmen in high school, it didn't change how much he loved his family. In some aspects, being a freshmen in high school while being somewhat responsible for the care of his disabled two-year-old sister, allowed Percy to be more grown up and think about the choices he was making in his own life.

And although the two-year-old had no speech as of yet, she babbled a lot, which made Percy laugh. He loved this kid with all of his heart and he would do anything for her; even change a nasty diaper without throwing up. It didn't matter to him that this kid would probably be in diapers all of her life because he realized that she couldn't help it. It was also because he loved her like a little sister and he recognized that she was still a person despite being visually and physically disabled.

As he worked, Percy laughed as he listened to the two year old babbling nonsense. "Maamamaamamamamah," the toddler babbled. "Dadadadadadah..."

Percy laughed. "Awe ya little pumpkin," he said softly. "You're so cute." Changing her was easier than Percy had originally thought because the toddler's legs were unable to move normally. So for once, Percy had not gotten kicked and for that he was grateful. When he was finished, Percy just stood in the middle of the room holding the two year old and playing with her soft baby like hair. "Does that feel better?" Percy asked in a somewhat silly voice. "Does it feel good to have that icky mess cleaned up?" But there was no answer except for the two-year-old clutching Percy's hand with her tiny one.

"Lily, Lily, are you with me?" Poseidon asked gently. But when he caught sight of her faraway look, Poseidon immediately understood what it meant and asked, "did you have another memory?"

"Yes, and it was about your son, Percy," Lily answered. Then without hesitation, she explained how she felt a strong connection with the boys and how she could never explain why she felt that way. She also explained that she felt the same way toward him and that she still didn't understand how or why. "Is it my imagination, Mr. Jackson?" Lily asked him. "Am I only dreaming, or is it a true memory from my past that I have blocked somehow? Because, I know that your son Percy was fourteen years old in this particular memory and he was taking care of me because both you and your wife were gone at the time."

Poseidon looked surprised, but he answered, "well, I don't know, but if you remember anything else, you need to let me know. Okay?" And with that, the therapy session had ended. But before Poseidon could leave the room, Lily called him back.

"Mr. Jackson," she said, "I don't understand. If I'm 11, and your son is 17, how is it that he and I had such a big age difference in this particular memory?"

Poseidon turnned pale, but answered calmly, "I'm not really sure, but if you remember anything else about this, we can talk about it in more detail."


	6. Hecate's Secret

I apologize for the long wait. I was updating my earlier chapters so that they would fit in with my plot line. To those of you who have followed, alerted and reviewed, thank you all so much. Again, if anyone has any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask me. Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Chapter 6:

Hecate's Secret

As the school year got underway, the atmosphere in New York City had become tense and forbidding. No one really knew what it was, but everyone could feel a chill in the air, which gave everyone goosebumps. Although Percy and his family lived in Manhattan, they could also feel a chill in the air and they did not like it one bit! Percy was still missing his sister and he looked at her picture every day just so that he would not forget what she looked like. It had also become a routine for Percy to help Lily with whatever she needed while on the bus and his connection to her was growing noticeably stronger.

One example was that while they were on the city bus on the way home from school, Percy noticed a slight difference in the way that Lily spoke to him. For a while, her voice seemed strong and unfaltering; but lately, her speech had become somewhat garbled and harder to understand. Percy wasn't sure why, but he also noticed that as the little girl's speech was getting worse, she seemed to grow a little younger. There was even one time when Percy had to catch Lily because she had gotten startled and nearly flew out of her wheelchair. But when Percy got a good look at her face, he noticed that it was much rounder and she appeared to be much shorter than she had been. But as another week went by, Percy must have thought that he had been hallucinating because Lily was once again 11 years old and her speech was just fine. "This is crazy!" Percy thought to himself. "Didn't this kid look like a seven-year-old only three days ago?" But Percy had no more time to dwell on those thoughts because he had arrived at the high school and he needed to concentrate on his classes.

In school, Percy was just rounding the corner when he suddenly bumped into someone. The other person plus their school books went crashing to the floor. "Oh my gosh I'm sorry!" Percy said, shocked. "Are you all right?" He held out his hand for the student to take. The other student took Percy's offered hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. When Percy saw the gray eyes of his neighbor from across the street looking back at him, he did a double take. "You must be new," Percy said. "My name is Percy Jackson. I am your neighbor from across the street."

"I do know you!" She cried excitedly. "Were you the one who was gaping at me like a fish when my parents and I moved in? My name is Annabeth Chase and it's nice to finally meet you."

"Are you a freshman?" Percy asked.

"I am actually a sophomore," Annabeth replied. "I did my freshman year of high school somewhere else. My parents and I just moved here from San Francisco."

"Do you miss it sometimes?" Percy asked gently.

Annabeth smiled. "Yes, but New York is great as well," she answered. "I just love the architecture and the people here are nice too of course." Annabeth had been about to say something else, but the Bell rang; startling her. "I didn't realize how late it was! We'd better hurry and get to class before any of the teachers see us in the hallway." And without another word, Percy and Annabeth nearly ran down the hallway toward their home rooms.

As the school day wore on, the new girl, Annabeth, discovered that she was in the advanced English class, which she was very happy about. She loved challenges, and language arts was a class that Annabeth really liked. She could never explain it, but writing just came naturally to her and it always helped her to feel a little better about everything in her life.

Annabeth also hit it off extremely well with Thalia grace even though she was a couple of years younger than her. By the end of the class, Annabeth and Thalia had become inseparable and the two of them exchanged stories about their lives. And of course, this also meant that Annabeth was now part of their little group of friends. The only downside about Annabeth's personality was that she had a tendency to want to know everything and anything about their lives even if no one felt comfortable telling her. Despite that though, Annabeth was a great friend to have, especially if you needed help with your homework.

Meanwhile, in Queens, the old lady, Hecate, was up to no good. She was pacing around her little cottage and muttering under her breath about needing more ingredients for some sort of potion she had been making. No one else lived in this house with her; or, at least that was what everyone thought. No one realized that anyone else lived with her because she was very secretive and sneaky most of the time. Hecate also kept her house very quiet and the blinds drawn so that no one could see or hear what went on in the house in the evenings. For this reason, no one had ever ventured to investigate the old lady's house. They also were too afraid to go anywhere near the house because of its dark and forbidding presence.

Most disturbing, was every night, after all of the residents in Queens had gone to bed, Hecate would go into the spare bedroom where this other person was sleeping and perform some sort of spell on her. In addition to that, Hecate would also make the little girl drink the potion she had made. The little girl never wanted to, but she knew that she had no choice. She had little to no memories of who her family was and she had nowhere else to go. For this and many other reasons, the little girl had been forced to call the old lady her mother even though she hated doing so.

I suppose I had better explain why Hecate keeps sneaking around and stealing plants and other items in the middle of the night. You see, Hecate is a very strange person. Some say that she's a little bit crazy and off her rocker, but others just say that she's losing her mind from old age. There were many theories about Hecate; one of them being that she was a full-blown witch, complete with broomstick and cauldron. Another theory was that she often liked to dance naked in the neighborhood park, but even that was a little far-fetched. But one thing was for sure. Anyone who ended up near her house was almost never seen again. This does not mean that anyone had died or anything; it just means that they had disappeared somehow, almost as if they had been invisible.

As for the little girl, she was a different case altogether. For what ever reason, Hecate decided that this little girl was going to be one of her victims, but it was going to be very different from other things she had done. For starters, Hecate had no tolerance for anyone who was less able to keep up in society and she often criticized those who tried to help them somehow, or try to target these victims in very unusual and strange ways. Hecate also tried to change her victims' appearances by using various potions and spells that she had learned over the years.

You see, because Hecate had no tolerance for anyone who was different, she made special potions to make her victims appear to look the same as everybody else. In other words, she tried very hard to get rid of the disease or anything that was causing her victims to be different from others. You might think that this is a good thing, because Hecate was trying to utterly destroy the sicknesses and diseases within her victims. But in reality, it wasn't a good thing at all.

Not only was Hecate physically changing these people; she was slowly killing them by constantly playing mind tricks on them. There were times when she even starved her victims, especially if these particular victims had seizure disorders and diabetes. Everyone knew that the old lady was crazy and cruel, but they refused to believe it even when it was in plain sight.

Now, this particular little girl happened to be Lily herself. She was kept in a special room in the topmost turret and she often went without eating or drinking anything. Hecate visited her every night and gave her special potions to not only make her forget who she was, but also to age her rapidly; in other words, Hecate had been stealing Lily's youth for a very long time. No one realized that Hecate was capable of doing such a thing, but they always wondered why she always looked so young and healthy most of the time.

Although Lily was severely disabled, Hecate had been managing to steal her youth because Lily had easily been the cutest little kid that anyone had laid their eyes on. And because she had an infant's innocence about her most of the time, Lily had been an easy target for Hecate. In fact, Hecate had decided to visit Lily in the tower room after Lily had gotten home from school instead of in the middle of the night as she usually did.

Whenever this happened, Lily somehow understood that Hecate, or more commonly known as the wicked stepmother, would punish her severely. Because Lily was under Hecate's thumb, she was never allowed to ask for any kind of help from anyone no matter if she truly needed it or not. And today was no different. When Hecate visited the 11-year-old in the tower room, she immediately put some sort of enchantment on her to make her become violently sick and she forced an even bigger glass full of the aging potion down the 11-year-old's throat; making her scream. By the time the potion had done its job, Lily was now looking like a 14-year-old. She could walk a little bit, but she was extremely pale and she didn't remember anything that Hecate had done to her.

Meanwhile, Percy was lost in a memory of his own. He was trying to do his homework as usual, but he could not concentrate. A memory kept teasing at the back of his mind and it just wouldn't leave him alone. It was a memory of when his little sister was four years old. He had just turned 16 and recently got his license to drive. And although Percy was allowed to drive his family around, he did not feel comfortable driving the car when his four-year-old sister was in the backseat. He knew that she was perfectly safe in the special car seat that was designed for her, but there was another reason altogether why Percy felt uneasy about driving the car with her in it. The reason was that his little sister's neurologist happened to be in Queens and Percy absolutely hated going there.

Percy did not hate going to Queens because of the neurologist, but because ever since his baby sister was born, Percy had had a strong and foreboding feeling about that particular section of New York City. He could never explain it, but he always could feel it, which was one of the main reasons why Percy was so overprotective of his baby sister. He knew somehow that someone had been out to get her ever since she had been born and with the help of his family and friends, Percy tried to do everything he could to keep his baby sister safe from whoever or whatever was lurking out there.

Anyway, when his sister was four, she had a neurology appointment in Queens because she had been showing signs of epilepsy because of the significant brain damage she had suffered while still in the womb. No one could understand why none of the neurologists in Manhattan worked with children and so, the family had no choice but to go to Queens because the neurologist was a pediatric neurologist. It was somewhat of a long drive, but no one really minded. Well, no one that is, except for the youngest Jackson child. For what ever reason, whenever they would go to Queens for anything, she would do nothing but scream and cry until they got home. This was really strange because the youngest child was usually very calm and quiet and did nothing but babble because she had no speech whatsoever. It was only when the family would go to Queens for the day or a doctor appointment that she would become very unsettled and today was no different.

Since Percy had gotten his license Poseidon told him that he would be allowed to drive to the hospital in Queens while they took his sister for her appointment. Percy was actually a very good driver for a 16-year-old and to prove it, the four-year-old fell asleep in her car seat for about 15 minutes. It wasn't until they were crossing the bridge that connected Manhattan to Queens all hell broke loose! No one had been expecting the four-year-old to start screaming and crying as hard as she was. It even startled Percy enough to make him turn around in the driver's seat to see what was wrong with her. "Percy," his father said in a somewhat warning voice, "keep your eyes on the road. I know you're worried about your sister, but your mother and I will take care of her." And that was that. The four-year-old continued to cry and no one knew what was wrong with her.

At first Sally thought that the little girl was hungry, so she tried to feed her, but it was no use. The little girl just spit the food out of her mouth and wouldn't eat it. The second time, both parents thought that she might have needed a diaper change, so they did that, and still she wouldn't stop crying. Finally, Sally said desperately, "Percy, pull over to the side of the road. I want you to try and calm her down a little." So, Percy obliged and Poseidon got into the drivers seat and switched off the ignition for a few minutes.

Percy climbed into the middle seat between his mom and his little sister's car seat. Very gently, Percy unbuckled his little sister from her car seat and just held her in his arms as she cried in fear. "It's okay, baby girl," he said quietly. "There's nothing to be afraid of." But even as he said it, Percy knew that something wasn't right with the atmosphere. Although the sky was cloudless, he felt an odd chill in the air as though someone or something was watching them. He shivered involuntarily and hugged his little sister closer to him. "Don't you worry little one. None of us will let anyone hurt you." When Percy deemed his little sister calm enough, he buckled her back into her car seat, but remained in the middle seat next to his mother in case she needed help with the four-year-old.

It was then that Tyson had chosen to ask the strangest question he had ever asked. "Is our little sister crying because she is freaked out about going to see the neurologist?" It was a valid question of course, but no one really had an answer. However, Percy gave his younger brother a look that clearly said, "I'll tell you later." And for the remainder of the trip, the Jacksons were silent. They had no idea what made their daughter freak out like that, but one thing was for certain. Whoever or whatever was in the city was up to no good.


	7. Another Flashback

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. All I own is the plot.

Chapter 7:

Another Flashback

Percy was so lost in his memory that he completely spaced out and actually stopped doing his homework for a few minutes. He winced sadly as the memory played in his mind over and over.

It was a very long day in Queens. Not only did the youngest Jackson child have her neurology appointment, but Tyson insisted that they all go to the video game store and look around for a few hours afterwards. What could anyone say? He was only nine and he didn't fully understand why his little sister was so freaked out. Both Sally and Poseidon could sort of understand how their daughter was feeling because they had loved her and cared for her since the day she was born. Like Tyson, they thought that maybe their daughter was just scared of going to the doctor, but deep down, they knew that wasn't the reason. The four-year-old was pretty severely cognitively disabled, so she didn't really understand what was going on anyway. But what she did understand was fear; and she somehow couldn't stop shaking.

On the way home, Percy sat in the middle seat next to his sister while Tyson sat in the back. Since it was already getting dark, Poseidon drove the car and for a long time, nobody said anything. But even though they didn't say anything, both Sally and Poseidon were extremely worried about their small daughter's reaction when entering Queens. I guess it was also the same reason why they were slightly worried about Percy not being comfortable with driving the car whenever they would go there. But, if Sally and Poseidon knew the truth about what really went on over there, they would be scared too.

Anyway, when they arrived home, Percy immediately dashed inside the house to check if there had been any phone calls. Sally followed him; leaving Poseidon to free his daughter from her specially designed car seat. "Okay sweetheart," Poseidon said softly to her, "let's get you out of this thing."

The four-year-old made little gurgling and babbling noises to let Poseidon know that she was calming down, but she was still not entirely happy. "Nanananananananah," she babbled unhappily, "I'mwawawawawawawawah…"

As Poseidon lifted his young daughter into his arms, he saw a few tear tracks on her cheeks and he gently wiped them away with his thumb. "I know kiddo; I know," he said softly. And just as he had done when his small daughter was an infant, Poseidon rocked her back and forth as he walked toward the house. Although it was a warm summer evening, Poseidon felt his little daughter shiver and practically curl up in a ball against his shoulder. "Awe, are you cold sweetheart?" But Poseidon didn't really expect his daughter to answer because she never really could. Instead, he had instinctively wrapped her more securely in his arms while he continued to rock her back and forth; and he didn't even realize he had still been doing that until Sally gave her husband a worried look. The babyish four-year-old shivered again, but this time she whimpered slightly. It was then that Poseidon finally realized that something other than epilepsy was bothering her.

"Poseidon?" Sally asked in a worried voice, "what's wrong with her? Lily has never acted like this before; at least, not that I can remember."

Then Poseidon gazed steadily into Sally's eyes and answered seriously, "I think we all need to keep an eye on her tonight. Whatever is causing our daughter to shiver like that is not caused by cold weather. Our daughter is terrified of something or someone, Sally and I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone with anyone strange. I didn't want to say anything, but I could tell that Percy felt the same way. He absolutely hates going to Queens, and now I think I understand why. Something or someone is trying to get at us and I don't like it."

Sally was shocked. She had never seen her husband look so frightened in her life! "But Percy has never told us anything suspicious," she reasoned. "For that matter, he has never told us that he felt uncomfortable in that particular section of New York City. And if he had, he had never told us his reasons why he felt that way."

"Percy may not have told us anything," Poseidon replied, "but I do know this. Every time I see the look in his eyes, I see an extremely devoted older brother. I also see the same fear in his eyes that I see in Lily's and I think it means something. It means that there is evil afoot and both Percy and Lily can sense it lurking. Sally, I have never seen a 16-year-old more responsible than Percy. For that matter, I have never seen a 16-year-old boy who loved their sister more than Percy!" Then Poseidon laughed slightly as he added, "Heck, our 16-year-old son changes more diapers on her than the rest of us do; not because he has to, but because he understands that she needs them and he loves her!" But just as Poseidon was about to say something else, his little daughter finally let out her stress in the worst way possible. But instead of getting angry or upset, Poseidon burst out laughing. "Well! Speaking of changing diapers, this little one definitely needs it!" And with that, the 35-year-old Poseidon carried the little girl into her bedroom where he immediately got to work on cleaning up the four-year-old.

Although Sally was worried, she really had no idea what to do or say. She knew of course that some people thought that she and Poseidon were babying their daughter too much, but she didn't care about that. She also knew that they truly did not understand the family's situation at all, and so she tried to avoid those people as much as possible. For one thing, it was not anyone else's business what she or Poseidon did with their children or relatives. As for the fact that they baby Lily too much; well, they weren't really doing that at all. She and Poseidon were just doing what anyone would do that had a special needs child, especially a child who had very severe challenges and was ill most of the time. So, for that fact alone, the people who criticized them had no right to do so because it wasn't Lily's fault for being the way she was. She couldn't help that she needed diapers at four years old, or that she needed to be spoon-fed because she wasn't able to do it herself. No, people were just plain heartless; and no amount of explaining was ever going to change their minds about how they thought.

Percy only came out of his memories because he finally realized that his cousin Nico was gently smacking the side of his face with his finger. "Percy," he called, "are you alive?"

Percy jumped about a foot in the air, but he got his bearings as he focused on his cousin's face. "What... what's up?" Percy asked confusedly.

Nico looked mildly concerned as he replied gently, "you tell me. You were the one who was staring into space for the last 15 minutes or so. Are you okay?" But Nico knew it was a dumb question the minute it left his mouth; because without warning, Percy threw his arms around his cousin and buried his face in his shoulder. Nico was surprised because Percy rarely cried; and if he did, everyone knew that it was usually about something big. Nico hugged Percy back as the tears continued to fall on his shoulder. He also remembered his young cousin and how mild-mannered she was. Nico also thought she was adorable and he loved her just as much as Percy did. He too had been saddened when the little girl had disappeared earlier that summer; and he wasn't sure if she was even still alive. "Percy," Nico said gently, "I know it's been hard for you. I love that kid too. She was always so cheerful even if she was sick most of the time. It didn't matter to her, because she didn't know any different. Your little sister never knew what normal was, but she always seemed very happy and didn't have a care in the world. Don't worry Percy; we will find her, I promise!"


	8. The Young Lady in the Window

I apologize for the shortness of the last chapter, but I really had no clue how to end it. So, in order to make up for it, I have decided to update a little earlier than I had planned. Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own the Percy Jackson characters or ideas.

Chapter 8:

The Young Lady in the Window

As the days and weeks went by, everyone was more than a little on edge. Strange things were starting to happen and no one liked going anywhere alone anymore. Even Annabeth, who was more of a logical thinker, could tell that something was up. She had tried to ask Grover and Percy about it, but of course they weren't really sure how to answer her. Annabeth growled in frustration whenever anyone would give her a vague answer. If there was anything that Annabeth hate it more than unfinished homework, it was unanswered questions. And by the time November arrived, there were even more unanswered questions; especially when a 14-year-old girl arrived mysteriously at the high school about a month ago. This of course gave Percy the chills because when he saw her, he recognized her immediately. No matter how old she looked, Lily still had the same wavy dark hair and eyes. And although the girl was no longer in a wheelchair, Percy still watched her carefully for any signs of weakness or illness.

Nico also watched this girl carefully because he also had a sense that he recognized her and for some unexplained reason, the sight of Lily made Nico feel a little uneasy. He didn't feel uneasy because of her, but because of what he was remembering.

It was early in June of that year and school was almost over for the Jackson and DiAngelo children. Percy was excited about this because it meant that he would be able to spend most of his time with his younger brother and sister. Because he was in high school, Percy didn't often get to spend enough time with them as he would like to. On the other hand, it also meant that he was expected to baby-sit more often, which meant that he didn't always have enough time to spend with his best friends. But since today was Saturday, everybody had off and Percy did not have any homework to do for once. Tyson was at a friend's house, so Percy was only responsible for five-year-old Lily.

He had just finished feeding his sister when the phone rang. Percy looked at the caller ID and saw that his cousin Nico was calling. When Percy picked it up, his cousin sounded very excited, as if there was something he had been dying to tell Percy for a while now. "Can you come over?" Nico asked excitedly, "I need to tell you something!" Percy agreed, but he reminded his cousin that he was babysitting, so he could not leave Lily in the house alone.

Percy really wasn't sure why Nico was so excited, but he strapped his little sister into her special stroller and walked the five blocks to his uncle's house. Now, Percy's Uncle Hades and Aunt Maria were nice people, if a bit strict. But even if they were, Percy somehow knew that it didn't matter to them that their niece had some extra challenges. They loved her just as much as the rest of the family did and they were often used as respite providers for both Sally and Poseidon whenever the older kids were unavailable. Today was one of those days.

Although everyone was off because it was the weekend, both Sally and Poseidon were busy with projects around the house, so they were very busy that day. However, since Tyson was at a friend's house, Percy told his parents that he would take care of Lily for the day and that if he needed to go anywhere, he would take her with him. So, here he was, on a short walking route to his cousin's house along with his baby sister. When he arrived there, Percy was immediately greeted and hugged by his 17-year-old cousin, Bianca. "Oh my goodness!" Bianca cried in delight, "this is a surprise. No one told me you were coming."

Percy smiled at his female cousin and answered, "well, your brother called me and told me that he needed to tell me something. Is he home?"

Bianca smiled and covered her mouth to keep from snickering.

"What's so funny?" Percy asked her.

Bianca cough stealthily as she answered, "yeah, well, um, it's not anything he wants to tell you. It's actually something he wants to show you."

Percy was thoroughly confused. "Okay?" But he didn't have any more time to think about what Bianca had told him because Nico came bounding down the stairs.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked his sister and Percy.

Percy nodded and answered, "sure, but let me give Lily some water first. It's really hot out today and I don't want her to get sick." After Lily had drunk more than half of the bottle of water that Percy had fed to her, she promptly fell asleep in her stroller as the other three walked around the neighborhoods with her.

For some reason, both Bianca and Nico were more than a little tense and anxious. They weren't sure why, but they could feel a presence so evil it was almost cold. And although they lived in Manhattan, they could feel it all the way across the bridge that connected Manhattan to Queens. There was an uncomfortable silence until Percy finally broke it by asking, "so, what did you need to tell me?"

Both of his cousins glanced at him uneasily. They weren't sure why, but they needed to tell him. They didn't really know how to put it into words. Finally, it was Bianca who broke the silence. "Percy, it's really complicated," she said softly. "I'm not sure if we even know how to explain."

Percy was growing more and more worried as he asked, "what are you talking about?"

The trio and Lily had been walking so long that nobody realized where they were until poor little Lily started screaming her head off! Although this kid was totally blind, she could still sense when people were not trustworthy. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Percy unbuckled his little sister from the stroller and held her in his arms to calm her more effectively. "Lily, honey, it's okay," he said gently. "Don't be scared honey; you're safe. No one's gunna hurt you." It was no use though because the poor kid just couldn't stop crying and Percy had to rock her back and forth the way his dad sometimes did whenever Lily was upset or overloaded neurologically.

But just as Percy had been about to buckle his sister back into her stroller, Nico pointed at something across the street. Unknown to them, Bianca and the boys had walked into Queens, where they suddenly felt eerily cold. They also got the feeling or instinct that they really shouldn't be there. But that wasn't the reason why Nico had his mouth wide open and staring fixedly at the house across the street. For some reason, the house gave him the creeps. After a while, he said, "is it just me, or is there someone at the window staring at us? To be more specific, Lily? I don't... I don't like this; I don't like this at all!"

Nico started to pace anxiously; muttering about evil witches and how everyone hated Queens. He had been pacing so much that Percy finally said, "would you just tell me all ready? You're freaking me out!"

Bianca put a calming hand on her brother's shoulder, but answered her cousin. "I told you it was complicated," she said anxiously. "My brother called you because he wanted to warn you. He wanted you and your little sister to stay safe."

Percy was confused and more than a little frustrated. "I'm sorry, but I still don't really understand what the two of you are talking about," he cried in frustration. "And how did we end up here anyway? It usually takes more than an hour to get here from my house, and another 45 minutes to the neurologist."

Before Bianca could answer, Percy saw something that almost made his heart stop. "Who the hell is that?" He asked fearfully. "I have never seen anyone so ugly in my life!" But before anyone could say anything else, the black haired, pale skinned, young lady who had been watching them smiled wickedly, which gave Percy the shivers.

Without really thinking about what they were doing, Percy, his two cousins, and his little sister, sprinted back the way they had come. The five-year-old was positively terrified and she had gotten sick all over herself. When they had gotten back to Hades's house, they were relieved to see that Hades had come home from work. Hades had also been relieved to see them as well because he asked somewhat sternly, "where have you two been all day? Your mother and I were worried sick about you!" And when he saw Percy and Lily, Hades smiled and said, "it's nice to see you, Percy, but your parents called here about an hour ago looking for you." Upon gazing at his young niece, Hades looked at her with gentle compassion and added more gently, "I'll take care of your sister so that you can call your parents." And as an after thought, Hades added, "Percy, I don't know what possessed all of you to disappear like this, but please promise me that you will be careful. I may not be your father, but you are my nephew and I love you! I just don't want anything to happen to either of you!"

But it wasn't even a week later when Nico had that awful argument with his parents and sister. He of course thought it was the argument that drove his parents and sister out of his life, but now that he thought about it, Nico remembered something else about that night. He could remember hearing an evil cackling sound and seeing the same black haired and pale skinned young lady that had watched them from the window of an old and abandoned house. Nico wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that the crazy lady was also the drunk driver that had killed his family.

Nico had been in his study Hall with Percy when the memory had hit him. And when he came out of it, he was shaking. Percy saw his cousins pale face and asked gently, "are you all right?"

Nico was frightened, but he answered, "I just remembered something." Then he proceeded to tell his cousin what he had remembered, especially about how his parents and sister really died. He also told Percy that shortly afterward, that was when the five-year-old disappeared and was never seen or heard of since.

Percy turned very pale at this news. He had expected it, but now it was all starting to make sense. Percy had found it strange that his little sister would scream and cry when entering Queens, or that he never liked to go there. But now he understood why he never liked to go there. Percy never liked to go over to Queens because he somehow understood that the crazy lady who had been watching him and his cousins had also been waiting for the right opportunity to steal the person who was most precious to him; and that particular person was his baby sister. It finally made sense why the girl on the bus seemed familiar to him. She seemed familiar because without realizing it, Percy had been helping out his own sister without even knowing who she was. "That bitch!" Percy cried angrily. "She's got my sister! Because of that crazy old lady, my sister is dying and I can't let that happen to her!" And without another word, Percy through his books into his backpack and slammed the door on the way out of the classroom.

So how did you like it? Was it confusing? Was there enough action? Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed. My next update will probably be in a few days or so. If not, it's probably because I'm busy doing something else. But please don't hesitate to review.


	9. Dumb and Dumber

Okay people, here is the next chapter. It should help to explain a few more things about Lily and Percy's connection to each other. Also, I have no idea how to spell Luke's last name, so if anyone knows how to spell it, please tell me. In the meantime, I will try my best to spell it correctly. Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.

Chapter 9:

Dumb and Dumber

Everyone stared in shock as Percy stormed out of the study Hall; not even bothering to explain anything to Grover or the teacher. Percy realized he probably should have talked to the teacher, but he was too angry to care about that right now. All he wanted to do was to find the person who had torn his family apart and pulverize him or her. "When I get my hands on that lady," Percy growled under his breath, "I will personally make sure that she is in as much pain as possible."

Meanwhile, a bunch of senior boys were loitering in the hallway; obviously up to no good. Among these boys was a sandy haired boy named Luke Castellan. His parents were Hermes and May Castellan and they were easily the richest people in all of New York City. Luke even had the snotty attitude to prove it. He was nothing but snarky, sarcastic, and just plain cruel at times. And just because he was a senior in high school, Luke felt that it was his duty to make high school as miserable as possible for the younger grades and to be a jerk to everyone whenever he felt like it. Percy had Shop Class with him ever since he had been a freshman and the guy's attitude was just as snarky and sarcastic as ever. Luke never seemed to shut up about himself and he always put down those who were less well off or had a harder life. For that and many other reasons, Percy never liked Luke. In fact, the two of them always seemed ready to go at each other's throats.

Today was no exception. Percy was in such a bad mood that any troublemaker learned a long time ago to never mess with Percy Jackson when he was mad. But not Luke; oh no. Luke in fact, went out of his way to bully and torment Percy any way he could without getting caught. But this time, Percy was ready for him. He was on a mission and he was in no mood to deal with the senior at the moment. Before Luke could say anything, Percy beat him to it. "Say one word Castellan," Percy growled, "say one word and you will wish you had never been born. Got it?"

And just as Percy had walked away, Luke called after him, "I wouldn't talk if I were you, Jackson. Where is your little sister now? Huh? Where is she?" Percy's face turned beet red, but he was determined to ignore Luke and keep walking. But he could not resist throwing a death glare over his shoulder at the senior. "Don't listen to him," Percy muttered under his breath, "Luke is just trying to scare you; he doesn't know anything about what happened. Don't listen to him; just keep walking." But at the same time, Percy wasn't really sure if he believed that. Something about Luke always scared him, like Luke knew something that Percy didn't. Percy shivered as he walked through the hallways toward the guidance counselor's office; a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that Luke really did know something, and wasn't telling Percy about it.

So, as that was going on, Luke loitered in the hallway for a few more minutes with his group of obnoxious buddies. They must've been smoking cigarettes because the entire hallway reeked of cigarette smoke and the smoke filled the air. This did not bode well for anyone who was trying to get to class; especially those freshman who really wanted to make something of themselves.

One freshman in particular was having an extremely difficult time maneuvering through the hallway; not only because she was blind, but because the cigarette smoke was making it difficult for her to breathe. This freshman, was the 14-year-old Lily. Although she could walk, she still needed to use a support cane to help her with her balance. When Luke saw Lily, he yelled out, "hey freshman toast," before yanking her cane out from under her; making her crash to the floor.

Although Lily was blind, she was not stupid. Percy had warned her ahead of time to stay away from Luke and she understood that he wasn't kidding. Although she could not see, Lily knew what Luke was capable of. So instead of listening to his insults, Lily glared daggers at him and said in a deadly calm voice, "give me back my cane right now, and get your butt to class, or I will tell the principal that you have been smoking in the hallways again. Do you understand me?" Luke looked surprised, but before he could retort, Lily added, "oh! Before I forget..." but Lily did not finish her sentence. Instead, she flipped Luke off before walking into her science class where a few of Percy's friends, Grover, Thalia, and Annabeth were already working at a table in the middle of the room. Percy had introduced his friends to Lily a few days after she appeared at the high school and they tried their very best to be helpful and kind to her.

Thalia looked up and smiled when she saw the dark-haired teenager limping up to them and setting her textbooks down on the table with a loud thump. The thumping sound must've been more like a slam because Grover asked tentatively, "you okay there, Miss sunshine?" Grover had given Lily that nickname because she was usually very mild mannered and her personality was always very bubbly and fun. But it was also because Lily's Brown eyes seemed to sparkle whenever she was happy or excited about anything. Today however, Lily was not in the mood to deal with anybody that had their minds made up to treat other people as if they were nothing.

Lily sighed heavily and answered, "oh, you know, the usual. Luke was just being a brainless idiot and he was smoking in the hallway again."

"What else is new?" Grover laughed. "He's always a brainless idiot." But upon seeing Lily's scraped up hands and chin, Grover asked more gently, "did he knock your cane out from under you again?"

Lily snorted and replied, "yes, and I flipped him off. That kid deserved it."

When she heard this, Thalia started laughing. "Only you would do that, Lily," she said teasingly. "Do I have to get Percy to wash your mouth out for you?"

Lily had been about to retort, but Grover beat her to it. "Shut it, Thals," he said, still laughing. "Lily has the cleanest mouth out of all of us combined."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant!" She cried indignantly. But Grover just laughed at her some more.

Later, at lunch, Lily, Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia were sitting together in the back of the cafeteria laughing about what Lily had done that morning. After a while, Lily even thought it was funny. Because, even though she did not see the look on loop space, she had to admit that his stunned silence afterwards was priceless. "Yeah," she said, smiling. "Just don't tell Percy..."

"don't tell Percy what?" Asked a voice.

Lily blushed and everyone else burst out laughing. And in a low voice, so that no one else could hear, Annabeth told Percy that Lily had flipped Luke off on her way into science class. Apparently no one else had been brave enough to do it until now. Lily, because she was so tired of people treating each other like dirt, took it upon herself to show the school bully not to mess with the wrong person. Lily was a little embarrassed having all of this attention, but Percy just laughed along with everybody else. He thought that it was about time that someone showed Luke that he was not the King of the school, and Lily did that without having to be threatening or hostile. "So, you're not going to wash my mouth out with soap?" Lily asked innocently.

Percy looked shocked as Thalia just smiled. "Why on earth would I do something like that?"

"Because Thalia told me that you would have to do that since I flipped Luke off this morning," Lily answered softly.

Thalia burst out laughing and explained, "I was just kidding when I said that. Percy doesn't like Luke either so don't worry about it." And for the rest of the day none of them could stop laughing. For the first time in her life, Lily felt that she belonged somewhere and she was happy.

Authors note: I apologize for the long wait, but I had absolutely no idea what to do for this chapter, so I had to leave it alone for a while. If the spelling of Luke's last name is incorrect, please tell me and I will fix it as soon as I can. As for updating, it will probably be in a few days or so, so stay tuned and please review if you can. I really need some feedback and maybe some ideas on how to make the chapters longer.


	10. Total Disaster

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson.

Chapter 10:

Total Disaster

As the days and weeks went by, the days at Good high school had become much more interesting now that Lily was there. Percy and his friends graciously accepted her into their group and allowed her to pick on Luke whenever she or the others felt that he truly deserved it. Lily was almost as snarky and sarcastic as Luke was; but the difference between Luke and herself was that she never had intentions to be mean to anyone where he did. Lily also had a bit of a smart mouth, but Percy and the rest of them knew that she was only joking around; so they always gently teased her about how Percy would wash her mouth out with soap if she didn't quit being such a smart butt. But none of them really cared. Although Lily was only 14, and the youngest person in their group, everyone loved her because she was so cute and innocent most of the time.

As I was saying, although Percy was friends with Lily, and he was starting to put some of the pieces together about who she really was, he still had no idea that his own five-year-old little sister was right under his nose. Sure, Percy was starting to figure out that the old witch, Hecate, had kidnapped her over the summer, but he really had no clue what she was really doing to her. But at the same time, Percy had noticed subtle differences. He had noticed that the person whom he had always helped looked exactly like his sister and even had the same first name as her; but what Percy could not figure out was why this particular person seemed different every time he saw her, but yet looked the same. "I suppose it's just my imagination," thought Percy as he got ready for swim practice. "But if it is, how come I feel so connected to her? How come I have such a strong instinct to protect Lily with my own life if I ever had to? I'm not her mother!" But almost as Percy thought that, a small voice in the back of his mind said, "but you take care of Lily as if she's your own daughter sometimes. There's such a big age difference between the two of you that it's no surprise that Lily thinks of you as her father."

And as Percy thought about that, he realized that the small voice inside of his head was right. Although Lily had no speech at the time, she still babbled, and she seemed to babble a lot more whenever Percy took care of her versus Sally or Poseidon. Yes, Lily recognized that Poseidon was biologically her father, but because she and her older brother Percy had such a big age difference, she often got the two of them confused because they acted a lot alike; especially when it came down to taking care of her. "And, when Lily started screaming when Bianca, Nico, and I accidentally walked into Queens, I did the only thing that came naturally," Percy thought to himself. "I picked her up and rocked her back and forth the way that Dad would do sometimes because I realized that she really needed that at the time. It's no wonder that my little sister got me and Dad confused. Because it's true. Sometimes when Mom and Dad aren't home, I become a third parent to not only her, but to Tyson as well."

Percy was snapped out of his thoughts as Grover came up beside him. "Are you ready to kick some butt in practice today?" Grover asked teasingly.

Percy laughed. "Yeah, I really want to kick Luke's butt."

"Nah," Grover said, "that's Lily's job." And then he laughed himself silly.

Percy laughed and gently smacked his best friend upside the head. "Quiet you," he gently chided. "Don't you ever wonder where Lily gets her smart mouth from?"

Grover had been about to answer, but before he could, a female voice cried somewhat indignantly, "I heard that!" But when the boys saw Lily entering the pool area, and saw that she was smiling, they laughed and made room for her to sit down next to them on the long bench. To make it easier for her, Percy offered Lily his hand for support so that she wouldn't fall as she was setting her support cane down on the floor under her feet.

As soon as Lily had plopped down next to the boys, Percy asked gently, "how are you doin' kiddo?"

Lily smiled teasingly at her friend and answered, "well, I thought we were all trying to figure out where my smart mouth came from." And she laughed so hard that she almost had a coughing fit and Grover had to slap her on the back.

Percy and Grover both laughed and replied, "oh, that, we were just teasing you. But seriously, how are you doing? I noticed that you haven't been feeling too good lately. Is Luke bothering you again?"

Lily shook her head and said, "no, it's not Luke, but I would like to get my revenge on him one of these days."

"Oh? How so? Grover asked curiously.

Lily smiled slyly and answered, "well, I was hoping that you both could help me with that. Percy, you are the captain of the swim team, right?"

Percy nodded but then asked, "do I sense an evil plan afoot?"

Lily gave the boys a small smirk. "Maybe," she said mysteriously. "But trust me; it's for his own good."

Then Percy suddenly burst out laughing and said, "wait! You are not seriously planning on throwing Luke into the pool, are you? Because if you are, I'll totally help! But I have only one question. Why were you planning on throwing him into the pool?"

Lily smiled and answered, "let's just say that it's payback for when he knocked me to the floor two weeks ago. I think it's time to show him who's boss and that he should learn never to mess with the wrong person."

Percy smiled apologetically at Lily when she said that. "Oh Lily, I'm sorry," he said gently. "If I hadn't been so upset myself, I would have helped you. I had no idea that you were even in the hallway."

"Percy, don't worry about it," she reassured him. "I need to learn how to defend myself against people like him, especially if I'm going to be here for the next three years. But, I do appreciate what you and your friends have done for me. You have shown me nothing but kindness, and even the teachers are much nicer here than at the elementary school."

When Percy heard that, his mouth dropped open in astonishment. As his gaze lingered a little bit more on Lily's facial features, he instantly recognized her as the little girl whom he had helped; not only on the bus, but he remembered the day he had ridden with her and held her hand as she was being transported to the hospital. Percy also remembered when he had fed her because she hadn't been able to do it herself. That little girl seemed so fragile, but at the same time very strong. Now as he was looking at her, Percy could see a strong-willed young woman struggling to be herself, but also the sickly young girl whom he had unconsciously begun to care for as if she had been his own. And the more that Percy looked at Lily, the more he realized that she, no matter how old she looked, was his baby sister and right now, even though she could walk somewhat, Lily looked extremely pale as if she had been sick for a very long time. And then quite suddenly, Percy asked, "Lily, who are you really?"

Percy's question startled her and Lily really had no idea how to answer him. How could she answer a question that she didn't really know the answer to herself? How could Lily explain that she had no memory of her family or how she even got to Good in the first place? But Lily also felt that she could trust Percy, so she answered, "to answer your question, I really have no idea. I mean, I know that my first name is Lily, but other than that, my memory has been extremely foggy. I honestly don't even remember being in the fifth grade classroom with your brother until I mysteriously appeared there. And it's the same thing for here. It seems as though when ever I get a grasp on some of my true memories, something happens and I forget. The third time this happened, I ended up here at Good high school without even knowing or understanding how I even got here. It's like there's a big huge puzzle where some of the pieces are put together, but there are also a lot of blank spots that I can't seem to fill. Do you understand what I mean?" And then she sighed heavily. "What I'm really trying to say is that yes, I sort of know who I am, but at the same time no, I do not. I don't even know who my real mother is for crying out loud!"

Percy had been about to reply, but before he could, the swim coach's whistle blew and he had barely enough time to tell Grover to keep Lily company before he jumped into the water and began his practice. Since Good high school had a very relaxed way of teaching things, the teachers and coaches always allowed the students to watch practices as long as they were also doing their homework or with a friend. In this case, Lily and Grover stayed in the pool area in order to watch Percy practice for the upcoming swim meet, which would take place next month. Grover had stayed with Lily because he knew that she truly needed a friend and also because he knew what it was like to be different. Grover, although very mild, also had cerebral palsy, but only in his legs. So, that meant that he also needed to use crutches in order to walk, but at the same time hardly anyone noticed that he even had it.

"So," Grover said lightheartedly, "how are we going to pull off this little prank of yours?"

Lily smiled; grateful for the change in subject and answered, "well, that's what we need Percy for. Since he is the captain of the swim team, he has an extra set of keys to this room and both locker rooms. I was thinking that maybe we could trick Luke into thinking that there will be more tryouts tomorrow; but instead of the coach being there, we will be there, acting as judges for a pretend singing contest. After we tell him that he has lost the contest, Percy and I will take Luke by his arms and throw him in the pool with all of his clothes on. I know he won't like it, but it's better than fighting with him."

Grover burst out laughing. "Lily, you are a genius! How long have you been thinking about this?"

Lily smiled. "Oh, not very long," she answered. "I just can't wait to hear his complaints. I hate to say it, but Luke can be so childish at times."

Grover laughed humorlessly. "At times?" He cried, "try all the time!"

Before long, the swim practice was over and Percy changed into his regular clothes before rejoining Grover and Lily on the bench. Grover had relayed the plan to Percy and told him that Lily wanted to pull her little stunt tomorrow afternoon. But before either of them left the pool area, Lily suddenly turned to Percy and buried her head in his shirt. It took Percy a moment to realize that she had done so, but he instinctively caught her before she could crash to the floor. Also to his utter surprise, his shirt was becoming wet and he finally realized that she was crying. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Percy sat back down on the bench with Grover beside him as he hugged the 14-year-old against him. "Lily," Percy said gently. "What's the matter kiddo? Don't cry; it's all right, no one will hurt you. It's all right kiddo; it's all right." But Lily could do nothing but cry as the older boys sat there with her. She was confused, frustrated, sad, angry, and happy all at once, and Percy was the only one who could truly understand what that felt like. At least, that's what he saw in Lily's face before she practically crushed him. But he also saw fear in her eyes. Underneath all of that snarkiness was a little girl who was downright terrified and desperately needed a safe place to go.

Percy knew that, and so he hugged her tightly as the tears that Lily had been holding back fell onto his shoulder. "I don't... I don't want to go home," she cried, "please don't make me go back home right now! If I do, she'll do something much worse!"

Percy had been shocked, but as Lily spoke, he suddenly realized who she had been talking about. "Lily, honey, don't worry," he said softly. "I promise you that you are safe here and if you don't want to go back home right now; I can call my mom and see if she will let you stay with us for a few hours. Okay? Will you be all right with that?" Lily did not answer, but she nodded. "I won't let anything happen to you. Okay kiddo? Don't cry anymore; you will be all right."

Review, review, review.


	11. Annabeth's Worry

Hey guys I'm back! This chapter has been giving me a little bit of trouble, but I think I will manage. I want to say thank you to Ace of spades 053001 for typing up a specific scene for me. If I got your name wrong, I apologize. Anyway, let's get on with the story. Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of its characters.

Chapter 11:

Annabeth's Worry

Later that night, Percy was trying to read in bed, but he was extremely distracted. It was only 9:30 at night, but he was very tired from the long day at school and also because he and Nico had been trying to reassure Tyson that Lily was still alive. They knew that Tyson believed that as well, but because he was so much younger, Tyson didn't fully understand how truly horrifying the situation really was. "Tyson," Percy said gently, "this is really hard to explain, but I want you to understand that Lily is still alive. I don't know what her mental state is right now, but I know that she is still alive."

The poor kid looked devastated at the loss of his friend. Tyson had no idea what happened, only that when he arrived at the elementary school; his best friend was nowhere to be seen. He had no idea where she had gone or what had happened to her, but he knew that it wasn't good. "How do you know that she still alive?" He cried sadly. "Do you have any idea what it was like for me to go into the elementary school and not see her anywhere? Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought she had died! I thought she had died because of that stupid seizure she had!" By this time, Tyson had tears running down his cheeks and his hands were bawled up into fists. "I know that Lily wouldn't just disappear like that! It... It... it really scared me!" After a while, he added, "L-L-Lily is like a L-little s-sister to me, and I l-love her as if she really is my little sister even though I'm younger than her. I don't know why, but I do, and I can't stop thinking about when she disappeared. I somehow feel that her disappearance was my fault and I can't stop thinking that."

Nico reached over and slung an arm around his younger cousin. "Tyson," he said softly, "what do you mean? What happened to your sister this past summer was not your fault. Why do you feel that way?"

Tyson swallowed a large lump in his throat and answered, "I feel that it's my fault because I was the one who always wanted to go to Queens and play at the park there," he explained through his tears. "I also was the one who wanted to stay longer and play around with the video games in the shopping mall. I truly tried to understand that it wasn't always easy for Lily to stay calm because of her neurological problems, but I had no idea that she was so scared of being in Queens in general. I'm not like the rest of you. I mean, I have a sixth sense, but it's not as strong as yours and Percy's. I guess for that reason, I never realized what was really going on. I guess because of Lily being blind, her sixth sense is working on overdrive because even though she can't see, she senses things that others can't. I feel guilty that Lily disappeared because I was selfish."

Now Percy and Nico were both hugging the 10-year-old. They had no idea how much Lily's disappearance had affected him. They never realized that he truly didn't understand the situation at hand. Sure, Tyson understood that his little sister had some problems neurologically, but he never took into consideration that his little sister might have been more perceptive than anyone thought; especially when it came to people she did not trust. Percy put a hand on his younger brother's shoulder and replied gently, "you were not being selfish, Tyson; you said it yourself. You just didn't understand the situation at the time. It may seem that your cousin and I have a sixth sense, but it's not really that either. It's more of a feeling that we get when we know that something doesn't look or feel right to us. All human beings have certain instincts and some instincts are stronger than others. You also have some of the same instincts, Tyson; it's just that you are much younger, and you haven't spent as much time with Lily as I have. Tyson, nothing that happened was your fault. None of us had a clue what was going to happen, so please don't beat yourself up over this anymore. Mom and Dad are doing everything they can to find her, okay? It's all right, kiddo; her disappearance was not your fault, so don't blame yourself for that; please?" Then Percy and Nico unconsciously tucked the covers around the 10-year-old and ruffled his hair before shutting off his light and closing his door on the way out of his room. The two cousins looked at each other worriedly; both thinking the exact same thing. They were deeply worried about Tyson, but they were also unexplainably terrified for Lily. They had no idea what was going to happen next or even if Hecate was planning on doing any more damage. But one thing was for sure. They weren't safe anywhere in New York City until the old witch was destroyed.

Meanwhile, Annabeth was trying to concentrate on some of her math homework, but she found that it was very difficult to do so. She had also felt the evil presence of someone in Queens as well. She did not know who this person was, but Annabeth knew a little bit more about what happened in Queens because she and her family lived there for a short while before relocating to Manhattan. Annabeth never could remember why she and her parents moved to the area, but she did remember having a huge argument with her father about it.

As Annabeth thought about that, she suddenly began to feel guilty about fighting with her parents. She realized it now, but at the time, Annabeth never knew that she and her parents moved for their own safety. "I really need to talk to Percy," Annabeth thought to herself. "Maybe he can help me." And as soon as Annabeth got into her bed, she fell asleep almost instantly. Her dreams however, were filled with strange old ladies, and they were staring right at her. Needless to say, Annabeth did not get much sleep at all, so she was extremely groggy in school the next morning.

Annabeth really tried to stay awake in her classes, but it was extremely difficult considering that she had had nightmares all night long and couldn't even remember what they were about. By the time lunch time came around, Annabeth looked as though she had been through the mill and back. Percy noticed Annabeth's tired expression and asked gently, "are you okay, Annabeth? You look like you haven't slept in a week!"

Thalia and Nico leaned forward to hear her answer. They had been concerned as well, but they didn't feel that it was their place to pry into her life. But Percy wasn't really trying to do that; he just wanted to make sure that she wasn't getting sick or something. "Well, it's just that I've been having really strange nightmares lately and I have no idea what they're about," Annabeth said truthfully. "All I know is that I'm surrounded by a bunch of old ladies, and they look really, really, really evil! Don't you ever have dreams like that?"

The boys looked at each other sadly, but Percy finally answered, "yes, as a matter of fact I do. I've had dreams like that ever since... ever since my little sister was taken."

Percy looked so heartbroken and sad that Annabeth didn't have the heart to say anything, but she knew that she had to. Something about Percy's comment triggered something in her memory and she couldn't keep anything from him. For whatever reason, Annabeth felt drawn to Percy in a way that she had never been drawn to anyone before. She felt that she could tell him anything and he wouldn't judge her for it. But at the same time, Annabeth wasn't sure how he would react if he found out that she had been watching him and his family last October at the park. How could she admit something like that? How could she admit that she had unintentionally eavesdropped on part of their conversation? Annabeth argued with herself a little bit longer before she finally decided to say something. It was no good; she needed to tell him, and she needed to tell him now. When she opened her mouth, Annabeth hesitated. She really had no idea how to begin. When she opened her mouth again, she finally said, "Percy, I... I need to tell you something, and I think it will help you. Well, maybe not, but I still feel that I need to tell you what I remember."

Percy looked confused, but he said, "okay?" So Annabeth began her very strange story and hoped that it would make sense to both her and Percy.

It was late in October, and Annabeth needed some air to breathe. Her father just told her not so long ago that they would be moving soon, and she disagreed strongly. The move wouldn't be until around November or December, but she liked her little home that was a little ways outside of Queens, where she moved once before due to a job her father had gotten. Her dad and she got into a big fight but her dad won, and Annabeth needed to cool her mind.  
Anyway, when she arrived at a rather small park a few miles from her soon-to-be-moved-out-of house, she sat on a wooden bench and watched the families and children play. One family in particular caught her eye.  
It consisted of three children and two adults. They all seemed fairly happy, but the youngest, a little girl, seemed antsy. She couldn't have been older than five or six, but she acted like a two-year-old, babbling nonsense and crawling around like a toddler.  
A boy, obviously the eldest brother of the child, picked her up and carried her with great gentleness. The boy, about Annabeth's age, met her eyes for a few seconds longer than she had intended. Annabeth quickly looked away as if she hadn't been watching, but looked back after a minute or so.  
Now the boy was off playing with his younger brother, a small but somewhat wider little boy. They were playing catch with a basketball and laughing at a joke the older boy shared with his brother. The little girl, who was over by her parents, suddenly screamed loudly. She was fidgeting all over, reaching out as if trying to grab hold of something she couldn't see. Annabeth went into panic mode. Something was definitely wrong here and the little girl seemed extremely frightened by something, "or someone," Annabeth thought. She never realized it, but the hairs on the back of Annabeth's neck tingled as if someone or something had been watching her.  
Annabeth somehow knew that the boys must've sensed something as well because they ran back to where the parents were standing and tried to grab hold of the girl to hold her steady. The eldest son picked her up after she stopped squirming around and held her against him with even more gentleness than before and started looking around the park. Annabeth looked around too until she caught the eye of an old woman in a dark black cloak, smiling in a chilling way at the still screaming little girl. Annabeth decided to leave the park then. Whatever was going on, she didn't want to be part of it.  
The next day, Annabeth went back to the park, hoping to find someone she knew to hang out with. Instead she saw the family from yesterday again, and this time, Annabeth was close enough to hear some of their words.  
"Lily doesn't like it here...not safe."  
"Go play with Tyson...be fine."  
"Can't we just...home?"  
"...fresh air."  
Annabeth walked away. She knew she was eavesdropping, but that really wasn't important to her. What was important to her was that that little girl was safe. Then she saw the cloaked woman again and a shiver ran down her spine. Whatever that woman was upto, it couldn't be good. That woman was planning something, and it had everything to do with that poor little girl. This made Annabeth sad because she had known many people with special needs in her old school and she always tried to help them and be respectful to them. Annabeth didn't know the family, but she admired them for being so gentle and caring toward one another, especially toward their young daughter. She could tell just by looking at the expression on the teenaged boy's face that it didn't matter that his sister had the mentality of a toddler and needed to be cared for like that. He loved her, and that was that.  
Day after day Annabeth went to the park. Day after day Annabeth saw that little girl and her oh-so-loving family and that creepy woman in black. Annabeth had come to realize that the girl was in serious danger, but she didn't fully understand how much danger she was in. The day that the girl disappeared from her home, the family stopped going to the park. She knew that it had something to do with the woman, but she left it to the poor family to figure out. It wasn't her business, after all. Eventually she forgot all about it, and moved across from the family with the missing little girl.

Percy looked shocked. "So that's why you looked so familiar when I saw you moving in across the street!" He exclaimed. "That's why I was looking at you through the window," he explained. "I was trying to decide whether or not I had seen you before, but I realize now that I had!"

Annabeth looked somewhat ashamed of herself. "Are you mad at me?" She suddenly asked.

"Why on earth would I be mad at you?" Percy asked, genuinely concerned.

"Because I sort of eavesdropped on part of your conversation with your parents," Annabeth admitted sheepishly. "I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help it. It was sort of quiet in the park and it was kind of hard not to hear what you were saying. Besides, I noticed that old woman as well, and she was up to no good; I can tell you that. I used to live in Queens for a short while before my parents and I relocated here. I will admit that I was angry with my parents at first, but now I finally realize why we had moved in the first place. It wasn't safe for anyone to live in Queens; not after what happened to your poor sister." Before Percy could say anything, Annabeth explained further. "I knew that she was your sister because she had yours and your father's black hair, but she had your mother's Brown eyes. I'm sorry if I sounded like a stalker, but I had to tell you because I felt that you deserved to know."

Percy reached across the table and squeezed Annabeth's hand gently. "Annabeth, I'm glad that you told me," he said sincerely. "It's nice to know that someone else other than my family remembers something about that time. When the time comes, I want you to help with destroying that old witch. Because if she is not destroyed, I will probably go insane! I just... just... I just miss my sister so much! I miss her so much that it hurts! She was just as much my baby as Mom and Dad's."

Without warning, Percy's eyes filled with tears and he cried silently as he let all the new information sink into his brain. Annabeth did nothing but squeeze his hand and answered, "I'll do what I can. I know this must be incredibly painful for you, but I promise that it will get better very soon. I might not know you very well, Percy, but when I saw you holding your little sister just as tenderly as a father would, I knew instantly that you loved her no matter what kind of problems she had. I also know that you and your father both would have put your lives on the line if it meant protecting her. That is nothing to be ashamed of, and that is certainly not a cowardly thing to do. You did what you could because you loved your sister and you still do." Then after a while, Annabeth suddenly noticed that Lily was not sitting with their group. In fact, it seemed as though she had not been in school at all that day. So she asked, "speaking of Lily, where is she today?"

Percy had been about to answer, but it was Thalia who spoke up. "I think someone said that she was sick today. She wasn't in school all day today."

Everyone looked at each other in fear and worry. As long as they had known Lily, she had never missed a day of school in her life! But now that she wasn't there, everyone began to worry because if Lily was not in school with them, she was most likely being hurt by that wicked old witch! After a while, Nico said, "I could do a little bit of poking around if you want me to. I'm pretty good at staying in the shadows so no one will see me." Percy just nodded his head and Annabeth and the others just shrugged their shoulders. Whatever was going on, it was becoming more and more dangerous and poor Lily had been caught up in all of it.

The next chapter will be the pool scene and Nico will be investigating Hecate's house for any signs of life. Please let me know if you have any questions. And also please review.


	12. Deception

Authors note: I have at least five more chapters to write until the end of this story, but don't worry; there is lots more to come before the end. On another note, I was recently asked by kerbbybear12 to ask anyone who is interested in adopting a story of hers. The story is called, Athena's Camp and she has only shown me the first chapter so far. So, if anyone is interested, please contact kerbybear12 by sending her a private message. Now, on with the story. Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.

Chapter 12:

Deception

Since it was the weekend, there was no school and everyone was going about their business as usual. Well, almost everyone was. It was a dark and gloomy Saturday afternoon and the air outside promised snowfall later that night. But that didn't matter to Nico DiAngelo; in fact, dark and gloomy days made him feel better for some strange reason. Maybe it was because he had had such a difficult year, but Nico wasn't really sure. Ever since Annabeth had realized that Lily hadn't been in school with them yesterday, Nico offered to scout around and see what he could find out. He was worried about Lily as well, and he didn't like what her sudden absence from school really meant. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered that fateful day in June when that creepy young lady watched him and his cousins through the window of her house. Nico had a sudden realization that both the young and the old lady were the exact same person, but she was only young whenever she was lucky enough to capture a victim.

Nico was beginning to get strongly reminded of the Disney movie, Tangled, because of the way Hecate used her victims. She would somehow steal their youth and become young, while her victims became weaker and weaker as their natural energy was being zapped from them. This in turn, made Hecate's victims die; slowly, and painfully. In this case, Lily had been absent from school because Hecate somehow found out that her older brother was starting to figure things out, and so she snuck into the school unseen and took her back to the dark and gloomy house. Once there, Hecate forced Lily to drink almost the entire bottle of the special aging potion and kept her locked in her tower room for the entire weekend. When Lily was done aging, she became very, very, very sick; falling into unconsciousness for almost 24 hours. When she woke, Lily was in the form of an 18-year-old and she no longer needed her support cane in order to walk. She was still pretty much totally blind, but she was starting to see shadows and a few shapes. Once, Lily even thought she saw someone looking in the window, but thought that it was probably her imagination playing tricks on her because nobody usually visited the house.

But when she saw the movement again, Lily was sure that someone had been there, so she tried to wave to whoever was out there. Unknown to her, Nico had been standing outside the house spying on the old witch the whole time. She knew it was Nico because only he could move that silently and blend in with the shadows because of his dark clothing. Lily hadn't been looking, but she thought he had waved back at her before disappearing from the window.

When the 15-year-old arrived back at the Jackson household, he was too confused and worried to say anything to anybody. So, he finished his homework as best he could and tried to keep his mind off of what he had seen. It wasn't easy though, because the image of Lily's deathly pale face as she fell unconscious made his stomach turn. "Nobody deserves that kind of treatment!" Nico thought bitterly. "Nobody; especially not Lily!"

When Monday came, it was a relief for everyone in their group. Lily was back at school and everyone, especially Percy, was overjoyed to see her. They had been so worried about her that they even made her a get well card in braille, which said, to our dear friend Lily, get well very soon. Just know that you will always have friends who love and care about you, and it doesn't matter to us that you are different. Differences are not defects, Lily, and I hope that you understand that. We, as your friends, love you for who you are and it doesn't matter what kinds of problems you have. You are a person, and nothing more than that to us. Love, Percy, Thalia, Annabeth, Grover, and Nico.

When Lily read the card, she was overcome with emotion and she promptly buried her face in Percy's sweatshirt. Lily never had a lot of friends besides Tyson, but now she had a small group of friends that were the closest thing to a family to her, and she loved them for it. "Thank you," she said thickly, "thank you for all that you've done for me. And Percy, if it hadn't been for you calling the ambulance back in September, I probably would have been dead by now. So, I want to say thank you, Percy, for literally saving my life. And I do understand what you meant. I understand that differences are not defects. In a funny way, I've always understood that even as a baby. Because even though I never understood that anything was wrong with me, you have always treated me normally while understanding that I had very special needs. You knew, even then, that I had these challenges, but yet, you recognized that I was still a person and you loved me even more for it. You all did, so thank you."

Percy was in shock when he heard Lily's speech. He had no idea just how much it meant to her that people cared, but at the same time, he knew deep down that no matter how old she looked, and no matter how much the old witch had tried to make her forget, Lily subconsciously remembered the strong ties of love that she had felt in her earlier life. And it was those strong ties of love that kept Lily from completely losing it. When Lily stepped back, Percy was overcome with another wave of shock. Percy didn't realize it at first, but as he began to focus on the teenaged girl's face, he knew that something had definitely changed. Instead of the 11-year-old from four months ago, Percy was now staring at a very beautiful 18-year-old who looked exactly like his little sister! Except that she was older and no longer needed to use anything to help her with balance. Percy opened his mouth, but the words escaped him; so he closed it. When he did speak, Percy stammered, "how... it's not possible... this is completely crazy... I don't get it..." Percy kept muttering to himself while Annabeth just stood there; looking completely shocked!

In fact, everyone looked slightly confused and more than a little shocked at their friend's appearance. She not only looked older, she also looked deathly pale as if she was about to faint any moment. One might even say that Lily was already a ghost made solid; but her friends knew that she wasn't. Nevertheless, they all agreed to keep an eye on her and make sure she would be okay during the school day. It wasn't really that hard to do considering that Lily had most of her classes with her friends, so it was easier for them to watch her for any signs of physical illness, bouts of depression, or insanity. Not that Lily was really insane, but Percy and the rest of the group were starting to realize that Lily had been deeply traumatized and she still was going through what ever living hell she was forced into. But, Lily also seemed to feel much better whenever she was around Percy and his friends because for whatever reason, she felt that overwhelming sense of love and security whenever she was near them. It was also for this reason that she never seemed to feel sick, insane, or depressed. It was almost as if Percy had a little bit of Lily's life force inside of him, and whenever he hugged her or guided her or did anything with her, it was like he was giving Lily's life force back to her.

Later after school, Lily, Percy, and Grover snuck into the pool area. They had planned on doing it on Friday, but because Lily hadn't been in school then, their plans had been postponed. There was no practice today, so the coaches weren't even around. But since Percy was the captain of the swim team, he had an extra set of keys that he could use. As luck would have it, Luke had to go to the pool area anyway because he had been told that there were extra tryouts for alternates. Luke found it strange that the swim coaches weren't around, but being his idiot self, he walked in there anyway. The plan went perfectly. Grover told Luke that he needed to sing a song like he was on American Idol and as it turned out, Luke's singing was terrible.

Percy and Lily tried not to laugh, but it was extremely difficult not to. A couple of times, Percy had to reach over and cover Lily's mouth with his hand so that she wouldn't laugh out loud. Being startled by that, Lily almost bit Percy's hand, and he whispered that he was sorry for startling her, but he didn't want her to give anything away. After that, both Percy and Lily suddenly reached out and picked Luke up around the waist. And with an almighty heave, they threw Luke over their shoulders, where he landed with a splash in the pool. Luke sputtered a bit, but he managed to stay above the surface, and boy did he look mad! He tried to say something, but Lily beat him to it. "You have been nothing but a jerk to us!" She shouted at him. "I don't appreciate you loitering in the hallways, and I certainly do not appreciate you and your little buddies coming after me and my friends! Have you ever thought that maybe no one wants to be your friend because you are nothing but a selfish jerk and you have the snotty attitude to prove it? Have you ever thought about how dangerous it is to your health to smoke or that the rest of us are getting your secondhand smoke? No, you probably didn't because you are too busy picking on everyone else to notice! I can't believe anyone allows you to walk around the school like you own it. Now get out of there, and go home, or I won't hesitate to talk to the principal about getting you expelled or suspended. Go, now!"

And as soon as Luke left the building with dripping wet clothing, Lily, Percy, and Grover turned off the lights and locked everything up before heading to the bus stop. Lily still looked angry, so Percy put a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry about it," he said quietly. "Yes he deserves it, but Luke is not worth the trouble." After a while, Percy said teasingly, "jeepers, girl, you sure know how to yell! My ears are still ringing from all of your shouting."

Grover laughed. "Yeah, mine too," he said teasingly.

Lily looked sheepish. "I'm sorry," she said, "but Luke was just asking for it. He gets on everyone's nerves because he knows that he can. And I'm sorry, but I am not going to allow him to act like that toward anyone, especially toward my friends. You guys are the closest thing to a family I have and I can't let him ruin that for me." And without thinking about what she was doing, Lily suddenly reached out and hugged every one of her friends tightly and she didn't want to let them go. Because she knew that if she did, she would probably lose them forever.

Percy saw what Lily was doing and he hugged her back; saying, "don't think like that. You will never lose us and that's a promise."

Sorry about it being so short, but I didn't want to give too much away. I really need some feedback, so please review if you can.


	13. Can it be True?

Alright people, I have only four more chapters to write before this story is finished. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to Ace of spades 053001 for reviewing every single chapter of my new story! You get a plate of virtual cookies for this. Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of its characters.

Chapter 13:

Could It Be True?

The school weak dragged by at a snails pace and Percy and his friends were becoming increasingly worried about Lily's appearance. They weren't exactly worried about the clothes she was wearing or anything like that; no, they were worried about how sickly she seemed. Because, even though Lily didn't need anything to help her with her balance anymore, she seemed more and more frail and she looked as white as a ghost at times. There were even a couple of times when Lily had fainted in the cafeteria, but she blamed it on getting overheated. But since it was the second week in December, Percy and the rest of his friends knew that getting overheated was not her problem at all. Whenever they would try to ask her about it, Lily had no answer for them because she herself didn't know what was really going on with her.

Eventually, Percy dropped the subject, but he still watched Lily for any signs of illness or anything unusual. He didn't know why, but her unnatural sickly appearance was really bothering him. Finally, after Lily had had an unusually long fainting spell, Percy told her, gently but firmly that he was bringing her over to his house for her own safety. "I don't know what's going on with you, Lily, but I don't want you to get hurt," Percy had said. "You are my best friend and I don't want anything to happen to you. I even brought my car today so that I can drive you home with me." Percy's voice had a don't argue with me tone in it, so Lily just nodded her head.

Although she had told her friends more than once to lay off and all that, Lily was secretly extremely glad that they cared for her as much as they did. She was really excited to go over to Percy's house, because she hadn't seen Tyson in a long time and she wanted to see him in person and let him know that she was all right. She also got the feeling that Mr. Jackson had also wanted her to come over to the house for a private therapy session as well. But little did Lily know that even stranger things were soon to happen.

The school day went very well, except for the fact that Luke and his minions still tormented people in the hallway, which was to be expected. No, even after being thrown in the pool, Luke still had the audacity to tease and bully people whenever he felt like it. This of course made more than one student Landon the guidance counselor's office because they just couldn't take it any longer. Anyway, everything was all right except for the fact that Lily seemed very quiet and a little bit withdrawn. She couldn't really explain why she felt that way, but she knew it had something to do with the old woman whom she had been living with for the past six months. Now that Lily was hanging around with Percy and his friends more and more, she began to have little flashes of memory of when she was younger. The memories were a little fuzzy, but Lily always felt the overwhelming sense of love and security that she would always feel whenever she was around them. Once, in her mind, Lily thought she recognized a young woman's voice, and she instinctively reached out toward whoever was nearest and clutched onto the hand of said person. This time however, the person whose hand Lily had clutched onto was not Percy's. It was Nico who looked down at her with a mixture of surprise and gentle concern. When he saw Lily's lips trembling, Nico asked her in a whisper if she was all right. Lily nodded and he said gently, "you'll be all right. I know you haven't been feeling well, but that's hardly your fault. Percy and I are doing everything we can to help you feel better. Okay?"

Then without warning, Lily threw herself on the 15-year-old and sobbed openly on his shoulder. "I miss Mama!" She exclaimed. "I want my mommy! I don't know what's happening to me, and I'm scared! I don't remember anything of my earlier life and every time I get a glimpse of something, it slips away. I just really, really need someone who loves me and understands me for who I am. But right now, I'm just really scared. I'm scared that I will die sooner rather than later and I don't want that to happen."

Nico put a comforting arm around Lily as she cried into his shoulder. He knew all too well how frightened she was and he didn't blame her for it either. He saw the same frustrated look on Percy's face when he was trying to figure out who Lily really was. He knew that Lily was frustrated with her situation, and having little to no memories of her real family didn't make it any easier for her. And even though Lily was 18 years old, the way she had called her mother Mama and mommy suggested otherwise. Although she was 18 years old on the outside, Lily was still a little five-year-old girl on the inside. She was a five-year-old girl who desperately needed her family and was downright terrified. "Lily, it's all right," Nico said gently. "You don't need to be afraid anymore. As long as you are with us you are safe. Do you understand that?"

Just then, Percy came into the cafeteria and saw Lily being comforted by the introverted Nico DiAngelo. He saw that her head was on his shoulder and Nico was whispering soothing words to her. When Percy sat down, he realized that the poor girl was crying and that she was terrified. Her eyes had that look in them as if a deer had been caught in the headlights of a car and her mannerisms suggested to Percy that Lily was really much younger than 18. Percy tentatively reached out his hand to take Lily's other hand in his. "Don't cry kiddo," he said gently. "Nico is right. As long as you are with us, you are safe. We will do everything in our power to help you feel that way and to also help you feel a little better. And don't worry about dying, because I will never let that happen to you before your time. Okay? Just out of curiosity, why were you calling your mother Mama and mommy?"

Lily blushed a little, but she answered, "I really don't know. There are times when I feel very young, especially when I'm upset or stressed out. I don't really know how to explain it because it comes and goes just as the memories do." Then Lily smiled sheepishly as she told Percy with a very red face, "I don't know why, but the strongest memory I have as of right now is that when I was two years old, and your parents were gone, you had changed my diaper because no one else was around who was old enough to do it. I don't really remember anything else, except for that I had touched your hair so that I could recognize you easier. Other than that, I don't remember too much about that time. I was too little and I didn't fully understand what was going on anyway. But I don't really understand why that memory is so strong for me. I even told your dad about it because I was in the hospital at that time and he had been my counselor for months. The memory came into my head when I grabbed his hand, and I did that because I felt that I knew him many years ago."

Percy was surprised, but at the same time he wasn't. He also remembered that time and how he had nearly gotten sick when he smelled her dirty diaper. But Percy was smiling as he remembered it because he had done what anyone would've done in that particular situation. He was also smiling because Percy had remembered how cute the toddler had been and how he had done the job because he loved her and not because he had to. In addition to this, Percy also remembered that he had had to change her twice because the toddler had been giggling so hard that she had immediately wet herself without even realizing she had done so. Percy thought nothing of it and immediately cleaned her up again. He also remembered the overwhelming sense of love he felt for the toddler as he did nothing but hold her. "After a while, Percy replied gently, "as disgusting as that sounds, I completely understand what you mean. You probably remember it so strongly because you remember that someone loves you unconditionally. No matter how hard that old witch tries, no one can make anyone forget unconditional love. Does that make sense?"

The rest of the afternoon flew by and all too soon; Lily was sitting in the front passenger seat of Percy's car as he drove home from the high school. As they were coming closer and closer to the apartment building, Lily's flashes of memory were becoming more and more frequent. And the more frequent they were, the younger she seemed to be. Lily still looked like an 18-year-old, but more and more of her own life force was slowly coming back into her own body and she slowly started to feel better because of it. Nico had decided to take the city bus with Thalia and Annabeth, so it was just Lily and Percy in the car. "I'm really nervous, but at the same time I'm excited," Lilly told Percy as they were walking across the parking lot. "I don't even remember this place, but yet it feels oddly familiar to me and I'm not sure why that is."

When Percy walked through the door to his apartment with Lily, Tyson came running over to them, and without warning, he hugged the 18-year-old and said, "Lily, I missed you! I'm so glad that you're alive!" Lilly didn't really know what to say to that, so she just hugged him back.

Even though Lily had never been in this particular apartment, something about it just told her that she was home at last. She couldn't explain why, but Lily had an overwhelming urge to poke around the house and see if she could dig up any more memories of her childhood. Before she could do that however, both Sally and Poseidon walked through the door. Percy introduced Lily to them, and when they saw her, their jaws dropped open in a mixture of joy and shock! Poseidon didn't really know what to say, except that tears were threatening to roll down his cheeks. However, it was Sally who recovered first. She was momentarily shocked when she saw the face of the 18-year-old because it looked exactly like hers. She looked at Poseidon; asking him a silent question. Finally she said, "you are more than welcome to stay here, darling. We will be eating dinner in a few hours, and you're more than welcome to stay with us for that."

"Thank you, Mrs. Jackson," Lily said politely. "I'm sorry, but I came from school, and I don't have a change of clothes with me or anything."

Sally smiled and answered, "don't worry, Dear; I think I have a few things that might fit you. Percy has told us your situation, and if you need to, you can stay the weekend." Lily's eyes filled with tears at the woman's kindness, but she knew that it was more than that. This woman sounded extremely familiar to her, and Lily couldn't put her finger on why that was. And for some strange reason, Sally seemed to feel the same way. She couldn't explain it, but Sally seemed to recognize who Lily was even without looking at her. It was as if she was staring at her daughter for the very first time in many months. Lily seemed to feel the same, because she wanted so badly to run over to the woman and hug her. She wanted to jump in her arms and never leave. "Mommy," she thought, "I think I finally found you!"

At the same time, Sally was thinking, "could it really be true? Is that really my daughter staring back at me?" When she looked at her husband, Sally could tell that he was also struggling to remember something, but he wasn't sure what it was that he had been trying to remember in the first place.

As it turned out, Lily ended up staying overnight at the Jackson household and she was tossing and turning in very strange dreams. She was in the guest bedroom, which was next door to Percy and Nico's bedroom. She tried not to cry out, but she wasn't succeeding in that aspect. Before she knew it, Lily was being shaken awake by both Percy and Poseidon. Poseidon was a very light sleeper and he could hear her crying in her sleep from all the way down the Hall. Since Percy was nearest, he had gotten to her room first. They were trying in vain to wake her up, but nothing was working. Finally, the older male occupants of the apartment just stood there holding both of her hands until Lily fell back asleep. They had no idea what was going on, but they were definitely worried and they hated to leave her alone. "You are safe kiddo," Percy whispered gently before he left the room. "We'll get that old witch, don't worry."


	14. The Shocking Truth

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of its characters.

Chapter 14:

The Shocking Truth

As it turned out, Lily had wound up staying with the Jackson family for the entire weekend for many reasons. One reason being that she was terrified of returning to that old woman's house, and the other reason was because Percy had become strangely overprotective of her and wanted her to stay with him and his family. He had been terribly worried about her ever since Lily began to get more and more sick at school and he didn't like it. He didn't want to admit it, but Percy was slowly starting to put two and two together; meaning that he was slowly starting to realize that the 18-year-old and his five-year-old little sister were the exact same person. He could tell just by her mannerisms and the way that Lily would sometimes cling to people whenever she got upset, stressed out, or scared. And lately, she had been terrified.

For the entire weekend, everyone could hear Lily crying in her sleep and thrashing around as if she had been trying to get away from someone or something. Sally had no idea what was going on because she wasn't as attuned to Lily's moods as the male occupants were. Being a mental health counselor, Poseidon could usually tell more easily when someone was in distress or frightened. And because Percy and Tyson knew Lily the best, they knew exactly what was going on with her and how to deal with it.

Tonight though, it was a little different. Lily was having her usual nightmares and tears were streaming down her cheeks; but at the same time, she seemed to be in a lot of pain. When Percy and Poseidon went into the guest room to check on her, Lily had a pained look on her face as if something was hurting her. Percy also realized that as he gazed at the girl, she looked younger than she had been the night before. Instead of looking like an 18-year-old, Lily looked more like she was 13 or 14. Percy also saw to his astonishment that one of her legs had become extremely stiff, which was the source of her pain.

Percy and Poseidon were extremely baffled by this and they weren't sure what to do about it. Fortunately, they weren't confused for very long. Because, after a while, Lily suddenly sat up in the bed and said softly, "I need to tell you both something and I'm afraid if I don't tell you now, I will forget."

Both Percy and Poseidon were surprised, but they sat down on the edge of her bed and took Lily's hands in their own. "What do you mean?" Poseidon asked gently. "What do you remember? Is it about anything from when you were little?"

Lily shook her head and answered, "some of it, yes, but not all of it. I'm starting to remember a lot more things about my earlier life now that I'm not with that crazy old lady." Lily waited for the two men to interrupt, but when they didn't, she continued, "the crazy old lady... she... she took me from my family's home about six months ago. She... she keeps... she keeps me locked in a tower room and she gives me very strange potions and stuff like that. I often don't get anything to eat, and even if I can walk, I never really feel good. And every time I remember something about my past, whatever she gives me starts to wear off and I seem to become younger as a result. I remember that I was stolen from my family, but I don't even remember who my family really is. I don't even know how old I really am."

Percy and Poseidon exchange startled looks, and when they turned their attention back to Lily, their expressions became extremely grave and serious. They really didn't know what to tell her because they weren't sure how much she remembered and they didn't want to frighten her anymore than she already was. But at the same time, Percy and Poseidon knew that Lily deserved the truth or a shortened version of it at least. "Do you think that someone did something to you?" Percy asked gently. "Do you know who this old woman is?"

Lily wasn't sure how to answer, but after a while she said, "I know that she sometimes seems very old, and at other times, she seems very young and full of energy. In either form, this lady is extremely wicked and I know that she would do anything to harm someone. It's hard to explain what she does to people, but I can tell you this. She is most definitely a witch; because she has never gone outside in the rain and she almost always has a cauldron of something brewing and bubbling somewhere in the house. I have never been inside the rest of the house because she always comes to my tower to see me. Whenever she does this, I am forced to drink something that makes me very sick, and I never remember anything afterward. This is the only time that I've actually remembered what she did to me."

"What did she do to you honey?" Poseidon asked gently.

Lily looked scared, but she answered, "she... she... she has been aging me and other people for the past six months. Whenever she does this, I and the other victims are basically zapped of our energy and life force because it keeps her young and healthy for all eternity. But it also temporarily cures diseases and disorders such as cerebral palsy, cognitive disabilities, and much more. This lady does this because she has no tolerance or love for anyone who has issues like this and she'd rather see us die than be loved and cared for by our families and friends."

When Percy and Poseidon heard what Lily was telling them, they became extremely angry. They had no clue that anyone could be so cruel, especially to the disabled. They weren't angry with Lily, but they were angry at how she had been treated. Poseidon remembered that night in the hospital when Lily had told him that she never felt that the person she had been living with had really been her mother. He also remembered when she had told him that she thought that the teachers in the elementary school were being paid by this person to purposely mistreat her. She had also told him that she had no choice but to use diapers because of her physical disabilities and people had refused to help her. As he thought about everything, Poseidon also began to think about the past six months and how he had felt that someone who was very important to him had been lost. He also remembered the times that the Jackson family would go to the Park in Queens and how his young daughter really did not feel safe there or anywhere in that particular section of New York City. He had not seen this lady, but his oldest son had seen her and he had tried to warn everyone. "How could I have been so stupid?" Poseidon thought to himself angrily. "Both my son and my daughter were extremely uneasy, and I didn't listen to them. Because I didn't listen to them, my poor daughter, wherever she is, doesn't even know who she is. She doesn't even know that her own father is her mental health counselor." Out loud he said gently, "Lily, this might be hard to believe, but from what you have just told us, your story seems to fit others that have been going around. It seems as though many people have been disappearing, and when they return, they look very different from what they used to. I think for your own safety, you should stay with us until this person is caught. I don't know why, but I feel this strange urge to protect you and take care of you."

Lily smiled. She couldn't explain why, but she felt the exact same way as Mr. Jackson. She felt as though he was also someone very important to her, and she could tell that he loved her no matter what. She never really thought of him as her counselor; she thought of him as a father, and in a strange way, that was exactly how Poseidon acted toward her. Without warning, Lily threw herself on Mr. Jackson and hugged him tightly. She did the same to Percy and he ruffled her hair.

But before the two men could leave, disaster had struck in the worst way possible. Lily had forgotten that when she was in the form of an 18-year-old, her bladder was a little stronger. But now that she was back to being 14, it had worsened once again. Although she did not have a change of clothes of her own, Lily thankfully always remembered to bring three or four diapers with her, especially when she was in school. Again, now that she was a little younger, her hand coordination had also worsened, so she did the only thing she could. "Could one of you maybe get Sally?" She asked, a little embarrassed. "I... I think I just had an accident and I don't know how comfortable you are with helping me." Poseidon looked at Lily's reddening face and he motioned for Percy to stay with her as he went to wake up his wife.

I need reviews; they motivate me.


	15. Hecate's Downfall

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of its characters. All copyrighted material belongs to Rick Riordin.

Chapter 15:

Hecate's Downfall

Things were becoming more and more mysterious around New York City as Christmas time approached. Lily was somehow back in the old woman's house and she was given more and more of that strange aging potion; so much in fact that by the time that Lily was done drinking it, she looked like someone in her early 20s. She could easily pass for a college student by now, but her mental state was that of a terrified little kid. She somehow figured out that Hecate knew that she had told someone about what was going on and she wanted to get rid of her as soon as she could. Although Lily looked older, her closest friends were still Percy and his friends. Although she was in college, Lily still stopped by the high school to see them and joke around with them for a little bit before she had to go back to class.

Lily could walk perfectly and she even had some sight, but it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Lily was also very tired at times and she was often moody. She also realized that her moodiness had everything to do with the fact that her life force was being taken away from her and she had no idea how to stop it or how to even escape from the horror she had to live through every single day. She could only imagine how Mr. Jackson must be feeling as well. For you see, whenever Lily would age, he and Sally would do so as well. But because they were both nondisabled members of the community, the aging process wasn't nearly as bad for them as it was for her. So, now that Lily looked like she was in her 20s, both Poseidon and Sally looked to be about 50 some years old. In reality though, they were about in their mid-30s.

The strangest part about all of this was that Percy and Tyson never aged at all. They just stayed the same and remained baffled by this strange enchantment that had been set on only their parents and sister. But as luck would have it, it was Nico who finally did something to help solve the sinister mystery.

Although he was only 15, and didn't have a car, Nico left school early and caught the bus that would take him straight to Queens. He was tired of all of this sinister business and he needed more information on that wicked old witch. So, he spent a few hours in the library; reading any fairytale he could get his hands on. All of the fairy tales said the same thing about living happily ever after and all that, but none of them really told the truth or gave instructions on how to kill a wicked old witch; none, except for a book called the Wizard of Oz. That book told about how Dorothy had killed the wicked witch of the West by throwing a bucket of water on her and melting her. But to Nico's disappointment, it was not raining. But then he remembered that Lily had told him once that Hecate never left her house on rainy days. "But," thought Nico, "I wonder if I can trick her into leaving her house somehow? But, how can I do that without sneaking into her house? I'd have to sneak into her house somehow. There's no other way."

While Nico was plotting his revenge, Thalia, Percy, and Grover were talking together at a table in the back of the cafeteria. All three of them were extremely worried. They knew that Lily had been in the Jackson family's home that past weekend, but now she was back where she was and very, very ill. "Lily is never this moody with anyone," Percy said sadly. "This aging thing must be driving her crazy! And it's not just her I'm worried about either; my own parents have also been a little moodier than usual."

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked.

"I mean that they hardly ever smile anymore, and they're a little more irritable these days. And that's not even the weirdest thing. The weirdest thing is that they seem much older than they used to be, and when I say older, I mean that my dad's hair is no longer black and they both have a lot more wrinkles on their skin. I don't know if the stress of losing Lily had anything to do with it, but something is definitely wrong with all three of them."

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Grover asked.

Percy smiled somewhat bitterly, and answered, "I want you to help me get revenge on that wicked old witch! I don't care who she is or whether or not she was here legally; she has done something inexcusable, not just to my family, but to others as well. Who knows how many victims she has been keeping in that house? If I have to, I will rescue each and every one of them, even if it means that I die in the process."

Grover shuddered. "Percy, please don't talk like that. Do what you have to, yes, but try to stay alive, especially for your sister. Because, if there's anything that I understand really well, it is that once your sister returns to her original state, she is really going to need you. Heck, she needs you even now. I might not know her very well, but she is a sweet kid who has been taken advantage of. For that and many other reasons, she needs you, now, more than ever."

"You still didn't answer my question," Percy reminded Grover. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Both Thalia and Grover nodded their heads in agreement. "I think," Thalia began, "that we should maybe include Annabeth in this plan as well since she used to live in Queens. She would know the most about the area and she would also know when it would be safe to sneak into the house and rescue the victims." So it was decided. The three friends would talk to Annabeth and if luck and the weather permitted, they would all go to Queens on one of the outbound buses and scout around for a while. As luck would have it, Annabeth agreed to their plan because she was also worried about Lily and she didn't want anything to happen to her.

Since no one had any practice for anything that day, Percy and his friends left school shortly after Nico had done so. They were also disappointed that it wasn't a rainy day because they also knew that the best way to kill the wicked witch was to get her wet somehow. They also went to the library, but since it wasn't nightfall yet, Annabeth insisted that everyone needed to finish their homework before doing anything else. Since none of them had anything better to do, the boys grudgingly agreed. So, there they were; sitting in a dimly lit library finishing essays, math, and other homework until they felt that it was safe to enter the old lady's home. Percy and the others were extremely nervous about this. They had never deliberately broken into someone else's house in their entire lives, but this time there had to be an exception to the rules. There were innocent people in their, probably being hurt somehow and Percy and his friends hated to see anyone hurt no matter who it was. Percy and his friends had been in the library so long that they failed to notice that Nico had walked past them. "Whatever he's doing," Percy thought desperately, "please don't let it be anything stupid." While they waited, Percy pulled out his cell phone and called home to tell his parents where he was. He also explained that he was on a mission to get revenge on that crazy old lady." Both of his parents told him that he had better be careful and that Hecate was extremely tricky. They also warned Percy that what he was about to do was not the easiest and that some of the victims might be even more traumatized by what had happened to them, so he needed to be extra careful with them. "Oh, and Percy?" Sally asked, her voice quivering, "please try to bring your sister back safely."

"Don't worry, Mom," Percy said gently. "She will come back with me if it's the last thing I do."

Meanwhile, Nico had arrived at Hecate's old house; trying to find a secret entrance. He couldn't see anything, but he somehow knew that there were more people than just Lily in the house. He couldn't see anything, but for some strange reason, Nico could hear the terrified crying of an infant, but he had no idea where it was coming from. He knew that it wasn't Lily, because even in her original state, Lily was at least five. She was no longer an infant, but if she were still in her original state, she would most definitely function a lot like one. Yes, it was sad, but that was her life, and somehow Lily had always been one of the most cheerful people in the world. But now because she was being forced to be someone and something she wasn't, she wasn't happy or healthy. And judging by the sound of the baby crying in the house, he or she was also being forced to be someone or something that they weren't.

Nico was so worried about this that he grabbed his cell phone and called his cousin. When Percy had answered, Nico told him to come quickly. He explained about the crying baby and how disturbed he felt to hear so much fear in one tiny little human being. "I don't care what happens to us, Percy," Nico said frantically. "All I care about is rescuing your sister and that poor little baby!" Then he continued, "yes Percy, I have known for a long time that Lily, no matter how old she looks, is still your sister, for that matter, my cousin. I didn't tell you before because I didn't know how you would react."

Percy told Nico that it was okay and that he understood why he didn't say anything right away. "We'll be there soon, so don't leave," Percy said. "Keep watching the house and make sure that nobody can see you."

As promised, Percy had arrived with Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover just in time to hear the same terrified crying of an infant as Nico had. Percy's heart broke into pieces when he heard the terrified crying. Because of his little sister, Percy had plenty of experience on how to deal with babies, so he knew instantly that that poor child was probably starving, terrified, and messy. His eyes flashed with anger when he saw the wicked old witch creeping toward where the baby's crying was coming from. He watched in horror and helplessness as the old lady gave a cruel laugh and proceeded to do the unthinkable. "No!" Percy cried sadly. "It's not his fault; he's just a baby! I don't care what happens to us; Hecate is going down! And she's going down right now! Nobody gets away with that; nobody!" Then without thinking about what he was doing, Percy began to break down the door by kicking it as hard as he could several times. Everyone else helped the best they could and surprisingly, they all made it inside; their eyes were blazing with anger.

But none of them were as angry as Nico was at that moment. Hecate had killed his family, after all. So, he had a right to be angry. When Hecate saw them, she smiled wickedly. But before she could say anything, Nico beat her to it. "You have gone too far this time, you wicked old witch; not only did you kill my family last June, but you were just now trying to kill an innocent baby. We may be young, but we are not stupid. We know the difference between right and wrong because our parents have taught us right from wrong. However, it is pretty obvious that even as an adult, you fail to recognize the difference. Either you fail to recognize the difference, or you just don't care. But that's just it. You don't care who gets hurt as long as you get to stay alive. My parents knew about you and they tried to warn me. I will admit that I was stubborn, but I realize that being stubborn was a mistake. It cost them their lives and you don't care about a thing!"

As Nico ranted at Hecate, Percy and the others went in several directions; trying to locate various victims. They could still hear the baby crying, which was a good sign. It meant that the baby was still alive, but probably scared. Percy told the girls to find Lily while he searched for the infant. It took him a while, but he eventually found himself in front of a plain wooden door, which for some strange reason was unlocked. The baby's cries were much louder now, so Percy knew that he had found the correct room.

The poor little thing was screaming for food and his eyes were wide open with terror. Judging by how high-pitched the baby's crying sounded, Percy guessed that the baby was about two or three months old. The saddest thing was that Percy could see the baby's rib cage and his face was flushed with fever. "Oh," he thought sadly. "You poor little thing! Come on little guy; I'm going to take you out of here. It's okay sweetie, it's okay," Percy said soothingly as he reached into the crib to pick up the infant. "No one will hurt you anymore; you are safe." Although Percy hadn't held a baby in a long time, the feeling still came naturally to him because he still had memories of when his little sister, even at five years old, still needed someone to hold her and carry her around. The infant seemed to sense this, so he settled down immediately when Percy had taken him into his arms. He was still whimpering a little bit, but Percy unconsciously stroked the soft fuzz on the baby's head to let him know that he was safe.

It was a close call, but Percy was extremely relieved that the infant was still alive. He didn't know what he would have done if the poor little thing would've been killed by that wicked old witch. Percy was also extremely tense because he wasn't sure how much time they had before Hecate would find everybody. He was just contemplating looking for the others, when Thalia and Annabeth came running through the house with the college aged Lily at their side. Percy didn't have to be told twice to run like hell as soon as they got out of the house. But before they left, Nico, who was still angry, quickly found a bucket, filled it with water, and drenched Hecate from head to toe.

She was screaming insults at them while she was melting, but nobody cared. The teenagers just stood there and watched the wicked old witch melt into a steaming mess. They knew that her spells and enchantments wouldn't last much longer, but they also knew that it would take several days before everyone and everything was back to normal. The only person who hadn't been aged was the small infant, so he stayed the same, except for the fact that he was starving. Luckily, Percy had found a bottle and a can of baby formula in that particular bedroom, so he took the baby into the kitchen and proceeded to make a bottle for him. Percy had also noticed that the three-month-old had messed himself, so he quickly changed him without any thought to what he was doing. After the baby had been fed however, he began to perk up a little bit. When he looked up into Percy's face, there was a tiny smile playing at the corners of his mouth. After that, everyone that had been in the house ran home as fast as they could and Lily went with Percy. Because Percy did not know which family the three-month-old belonged to, he arrived home with Lily while the baby was asleep in his arms.

"So, how did it go?" Poseidon asked his son curiously. "Are we avenged?"

Percy gave a huge grin and answered, "she's dead. It was actually Nico who had the guts to stand up to her and I don't blame him. I don't know if you know this, but it was Hecate who had killed Uncle Hades and Aunt Maria. She pretended to be a drunk driver, but it was her all the same. My guess is that she wanted them out of the way because they knew who and what she was from the beginning. They had tried to warn me and I always tried to listen. It's just that you can't save everyone. Do you know what I mean?"

Poseidon smiled proudly at Percy. "Yes, I do know what you mean," he answered gently. "Now, I see that you have someone else with you besides Lily. Is there a reason as to why you have an infant in your arms?"

Percy laughed, understanding what his dad was getting at. "No Dad," Percy said quickly. "It's not what you think. When we all went to the old house, Nico realized that there had also been an infant in the house along with Lily. The infant wasn't there very long, but when I found him, the poor little thing was starving, and Hecate tried to out right smother him. I don't know who his parents are, but I am going to find out, because they are probably wondering where their baby is just like you have been. Is it okay if the baby stays here until we can locate his parents? He's only three months old, and I don't want him to die of starvation in cold." When Poseidon had heard what Percy was telling him, he had a mixture of shock, joy, and admiration on his face. His oldest son was truly remarkable. Not only had he been willing to take care of his disabled little sister, he had rescued an innocent baby from a fate he did not deserve. Poseidon didn't say anything, but he gave Percy a big hug to let him know that he was proud of him and that it was all right with him if the infant had a place to stay until his parents were located.


	16. Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: I, Percyjacksonfan135, do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Chapter 16:

Beginning of the End

As the days and weeks went by, things were slowly returning to normal. Lily was regaining more and more of her memories; slowly but surely regaining her life-force, and she and the Jackson parents were becoming younger as a result. Another good thing that came out of the whole ordeal was that the baby whom Percy had rescued was much healthier and stronger than he had been. And even though there were a lot of people in the house to help out, it wasn't always easy for the Jackson family.

It wasn't easy because the enchantments that had been placed on both of the parents and Lily were starting to break, which meant that they never really knew how old they were going to be within the next few hours. But one thing was for sure. Things were definitely looking up. For starters, about two weeks after Percy had rescued the infant, the baby's parents had arrived at the Jackson's home to collect their son. To Percy's surprise, he recognized who they were. They were in fact Luke's own parents, Hermes and May Castellan. Apparently, they had decided late in life to have another child. But when Percy had told them what had almost happened to the infant, both Hermes and May were understandably angry, but at the same time they were grateful that someone had a heart big enough to care for their son and they thanked him over and over again.

Another good thing that came out of this was that Luke finally stopped being a jerk to everyone and he tried his best to apologize to those whom he had offended. I guess he had acted that way because he had known that someone who had been very important to him had been missing and he just didn't know how to deal with his anger correctly. So instead of going to the guidance counselor's office, Luke just took his anger out on everyone else. But now that his baby brother had returned home safely, Luke repented of all of his wrongdoing and he did something that he had never done in his entire high school career. He personally apologized to Percy for making his life completely miserable and he even thanked him for taking care of his brother until his parents could come and get him. "I really am sorry for teasing you about your sister," Luke told Percy one afternoon after English class. "It was very insensitive of me to do so and I understand why that is now. I guess I was just angry that my little brother had been stolen and I took it out on you. I really, truly am sorry. I really had no idea that Hecate was capable of being so cruel toward anyone."

Percy was still a little bit angry, but he suddenly realized that Luke had also been tricked by that wicked old witch, so he did the right thing and forgave him. "Luke, I will admit that you have been a jerk, but I will also admit that you have definitely changed for the better. If I had known that Hecate was trying to trick you..."

But Luke interrupted him. "Don't worry about it, Percy," he said. "I was so blinded by my anger that I kind of let her trick me."

Percy bristled, but he said calmly, "oh, so you let her trick you so much that you allowed her to take your brother away from you? Do you even realize what she had tried to do to him? By the time I found him, that poor kid was starving! He was starving and he was almost dead! For that matter, Hecate tried to outright kill him. Is that what you wanted? I can't believe how selfish you are! Do you have any idea that your parents were devastated? They came by my house themselves to pick him up and they weren't very happy with what had almost happened to him either!" Then before Luke could say anything else, Percy walked away muttering under his breath.

Even though it had been a couple weeks, Lily had gotten to the point where she remained 14 years old and was staying that way until the rest of Hecate's enchantments were ready to break. But little did anyone know that the enchantments were set to break at the end of the school day. During the school day, everything was perfectly normal. Lily had classes with everyone whom she knew, ate lunch and joked around with Percy and his friends, and had an enjoyable English class with Annabeth and Thalia. By the time study Hall came around for everybody though, everything went haywire!

Since Hecate was dead, everyone whom she had tricked and blackmailed was finally coming back to their senses. Other victims of hers were slowly returning to normal, but not as slowly as one might think. For example, everyone who was in the study Hall at the end of the day was just finishing their homework when something extremely shocking occurred. Lily was also in this particular study Hall and she was just finishing her homework when she suddenly jerked violently and began to return to normal. Lily was frightened, but she was also in a lot of pain. The aging potions that Hecate had given to her were wearing off now, so her bones and muscles were changing to fit her circumstances.

Lily bit her lip to keep from screaming, but it was no use. The transformation was too painful, and she soon had tears streaming down her cheeks and sweat was glistening on her forehead. Annabeth looked fearful as she watched the transformation take place. She really felt for Lily, but she had no idea how to help her. Annabeth tried to get Percy's attention, but he was too absorbed in his homework to even notice what was going on. I should say that he was too absorbed to notice until suddenly a tiny body landed in his lap; her face was still streaked with tears, and she was still in a lot of pain.

Shocked, Percy instinctively caught the child before she could do a face plant on the top of his desk. Looking down, Percy noticed that the little girl whom he was holding had the very same features as the girl whom he had helped back in September. She looked to be about five years old, and every time she tried to talk, nothing but babbling sounds came out of her mouth. The little girl's muscles were extremely tight and she was gripping on to Percy's shirt with a grip that suggested that she couldn't have let go even if she wanted to. Percy's jaws were almost on the floor; he was so surprised. He was completely speechless for a few moments as he did nothing but stare at his little sister as if she had been from outer space. What surprised Percy the most though was that the little girl had completely lost control of her bladder and had wet herself all over him?

Percy saw that his friends were trying very hard not to laugh at him, but it was harder than it looked. Finally, Percy realized who he had been holding in his arms and his eyes suddenly filled with happy tears. Lily was now clinging to his neck and he reached down and gently stroked the top of her dark head. "Lily, my baby sister," Percy whispered thickly. "I have found you at last." Since the school day was pretty much over, Percy and his friends left to go home. Before leaving though, Grover smirked teasingly at his best friend as if he was telling him to change his clothes ASAP. Percy smiled back, letting him know that he got the message.

The guest bedroom in the Jackson household changed back to Lily's old bedroom, complete with her changing table and specially designed bed to help her stay in. It wasn't exactly a crib, but it functioned a lot like one. Poseidon and Sally were back to normal as well and they both had tears in their eyes as they looked at their daughter for the first time in over six months. And before Percy did anything with himself, he quickly changed his little sister into a dry diaper before changing his own clothes. And since the little girl was extremely tired, Percy put her down in her bed so that she could take a nap.


	17. Epologue

Alright folks, this is the last chapter of differences are not defects. I want to say thank you to everyone who stuck with me and gave me encouragement for this story. Once again, I couldn't have done it without you. Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of its characters.

Chapter 17:

Epilogue

As the years went by, Lily got bigger and bigger, but she stayed the same old person. Although her mentality was that of a two-year-old, she was easily the happiest person in the world. When she smiled everyone seemed to feel better about their own problems. Poseidon and Sally talked to their oldest child about how if they ever were not able to take care of Lily for some reason, he would be her legal guardian when the time came. Even though Percy was in college now, he still lived at home so that he could help his parents take care of his little sister.

Tyson, now a teenager, had also been helping out, but he sometimes found it physically and emotionally demanding and he sometimes just didn't know what to do. Yes, he may have also been Lily's older brother, but he had only been five years old when she was born, so he had little to no understanding of what was really going on with her. He loved her of course, but Tyson found that he just couldn't handle being a parent figure in the way that Percy could. He also sometimes remembered that summer three years ago when all of those strange things were happening and he was glad that the wicked old witch was dead as well. But at the same time, Tyson found himself missing the girl who had become his friend. He did not wish for things to get as crazy as they had, but he sometimes wished that his little sister would still be able to talk to him.

Now that Lily was eight years old, she was of the age to be in third grade, but because of her unique circumstances, she stayed in the special ed department in the elementary school. The teachers themselves, once they came out from under Hecate's magic, personally apologized to both of the Jackson parents for treating Lily as badly as they had. They just hadn't realized that they had been bewitched by someone who lived almost 2 hours away. Lily was given a teacher's aide to help her during the school day with feeding and stuff like that. Since Lily functioned more like a toddler, she didn't really understand math or anything like that, so the staff members in the special ed department worked specifically on life skills, a little bit of speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. They understood that Lily would probably never be able to be potty trained because she had little to no understanding of what was going on around her and she also lacked the physical capability to do so. So, the teacher's aides had to change her during the school day as well. They didn't mind however, because they were trained specifically to work with those who had issues like this.

Sometimes, if Tyson had a free hour, he would walk over to the elementary school just to see how his little sister was doing in the special ed department. All of the staff members were very friendly to him and assured him that his little sister was doing okay and not to worry about her.

The most surprising of all was that Hades, Maria, and Bianca were actually alive and just waking up from a three-year coma. Nico, now 18, was overjoyed to see them. He apologized for being so angry with them and he told them that he now understood that they were just trying to protect him from Hecate's schemes and tricks. As Nico was an adult now, he chose to move back in with his family, but he and Percy stayed close with each other and they even took turns with staying at each other's houses. For that matter, they both went to NYU along with Thalia and Grover. Annabeth moved back to California and went to college at UCLA because she wanted to be a writer. She stayed in contact with her old friends though and she came to New York frequently to visit. As for Athena and Frederick, they both remained in the Manhattan area and became good friends with the Jackson and the DiAngelo families. They didn't really blame their daughter for going back to California because that was where she grew up and she really and truly missed it.

And Lily, well, she was just herself. Although she didn't always understand what was going on, she was just as lovable as always. She never was able to walk, but she crawled around, sometimes getting underfoot. But whenever she would get under Percy or Nico's feet, they would just pick her up and twirl her around very slowly and make her giggle. It didn't take much for the disabled eight-year-old to giggle because sometimes when she would hear certain sounds, she would laugh hysterically without understanding what made her laugh in the first place. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that Lily was back home and she was safe.

Well, there you have it. Another story is completed. I really enjoyed writing this and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. Please review and again, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me.


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